


The Unexplainable

by metamorcy



Series: Within 'The Unexplainable' Universe [1]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: BAMF!Tsuna, Bad Parenting, Canon Divergence, Complete, Dark!Tsuna, Drama, M/M, Multiple Universes, Sawada Iemitsu Being an Asshole, Supernatural Elements, Tsuna does what he wants, Very slow romance, dark!universe, multiple Tsuna's, reborn and everyone else just follows along, tsuna is manipulative, vongola is corruptive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-11
Updated: 2017-06-27
Packaged: 2017-12-11 12:07:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 50
Words: 228,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/798589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/metamorcy/pseuds/metamorcy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He had only come here to fulfill a dying wish from a younger version of himself, to take his place in this world as Sawada Tsunayoshi. That had been fine, boredom plaguing him constantly in his long life as nothing seemed to matter anymore. So when Reborn arrives to train him as Vongola Decimo, he ends up with something a little more. Dark!Tsuna, Dark!Universe, eventual R27</p><p>COMPLETE!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: 10/18/15

Tsuna huffed as he peered out at the setting sun, settled on top of a tall skyscraper where he could view the whole world beyond clearly. He could see other buildings surrounding him, but he was at the very top of the tallest of the group, meters upon meters over the ground. It was to the point where he couldn't even see the people that were walking in the streets below and could barely make out the colorful cars as they drove from one side to another.

His feet was dangling over the side of the railing, swinging back and forth without a care despite being one trip away from falling to his doom. Being so far up, the wind, as it ruffled through his brown locks gently, felt wonderful and strong enough to throw his head back. The sky above was shaded in various colors of blue, red, purple, and yellow in-between, even green. It was a wonderful view with clouds that simply enhanced the inspiring scenery, one an artist or photographer would love to capture.

Lazy honey-colored orbs stared out into the distance once he'd pulled away from the sky, continuously watching as the world darkened around him, the sun still setting slowly behind the land. It was a peaceful time despite the roaring traffic below that had been faded out by the wind, to the point where the excessive noises of people couldn't be heard at his spot. Still, it didn't matter to him, it was nice up here and the silence was what he needed for his normally chaotic life. No, not chaotic, not anymore. It had dulled over time with nothing else to do and he was falling rapidly into a routine.

'How boring…' He thought to himself as he closed his eyes for a moment to take in a deep breath of the air, filling up his lungs, and then expelled it, his shoulders slumping downwards in response. Looking around, he blinked his eyes as he felt something suddenly nudged into his mind. It was like a spark, a sensation he was familiar with, like something was tugging him from the inside. Tsuna automatically knew what it could be - there was only one explanation as to what it could be.

But how could he be called? That wasn't possible, not here. No one here knew about his existence. Well, apparently not. Tsuna blinked again, concentrating on following the feeling. His mind moved through the city, flipping around people, buildings, and anything that got in his way until he came up to a single white building, a hospital. Shifting closer, he came across a room and there he found a little boy lying on a bed all alone in the darkness, curled up in the white covers while cowering fearfully. Tsuna recognized the little being in the bed and smirked as he pulled himself back, shifting his form slightly.

"This is another world after all…" He muttered to himself, peering up at the sky in amusement. "So it wouldn't be impossible for another me to exist." After all, all worlds are connected to Hell, a world he dwelled in and called his home. It was because of this connection that it made it easy to slip into another world, bypassing the dimensions. It was simple really, no one would notice. But he was no demon, just something completely different. Still, those of the same people are interconnected whether they know of it or not and so it wasn't uncommon for those to call each other out without meaning to.

It interested him, he had never felt such a desperate attempt at calling him out, and he wanted to investigate. Looks like he found something worthwhile to take away his boredom. "Let's see the Tsuna of this world."

And so, he stood up with arms spread out wide, letting the wind gush around his body, and jumped.

* * *

Tsuna was crying silently to himself, not wanting to disturb the nurses and doctors that roamed the hallways continuously outside his door, knowing they would only say bad things about him. He curled up in the bed sheets, wanting to scream and cry out for something, anything, _anyone_ , since it was so dark in this little room. There was hardly any light coming from the moon at the windows, the blinds wide open, and because of that, it made everything seem so scary in this place. The machines weren't helping either, they were making all sort of strange lights and sounds, clicking as fluids dripped down the lines connected to him. He was all alone in the dark. Eventually, he closed his eyes to the rest of world, hoping to tune out everything, but it didn't help.

He had learned about his condition. He was sick, so very sick, and was told that he was going to die, going to disappear. With his childlike mind, he didn't know what it meant, nor did he understand what the doctors were talking about - something called cancer? He didn't know what cancer was, but it sounded terrible. Still, to die meant that he would go far away from everyone, right? Tsuna cried harder, that wasn't fair. He didn't like this. He didn't want this.

And what about Mama? Tears streamed down his face in despair at the thought of the only person who truly loved him. Mama would be left all alone, with no one around, because Papa was never home to take care of them. Tsuna wouldn't be surprised if Papa didn't even know he was sick in the first place and probably wouldn't even come see him before he died. Such a terrible father he had.

In the end, he could only do one thing. He cried and cried some more, silently calling out to those above to help him, and prayed to someone to save him and his Mama. They were supposed to help him, right? Those people up in the sky he had been told about. Or was it all a fairytale like those kids in school told him? Just a lie?

" _Crying doesn't help, you know_."

A voice echoed within the small room, making Tsuna go completely still, tightening his grasp on the covers. The child, just six years old, snapped his head up to glance around the room, and sat up, thinking that perhaps the boogieman had finally come for him to take him far away before his sickness did. However, he saw no one and tilted his head in confusion. Maybe he was imagining things? Hearing voices? Had this disease really taken him?

"Over here."

Tsuna turned around to see a person sitting in one of the chairs that were against the wall with his arms crossed against his chest and blinked. The person looked just like him, except older, _much_ older - like those adults in their twenties - with exact same hair and eyes. But there was an air around the other person, something that made him feel dark, but not evil. The younger Tsuna opened his mouth to talk and hesitated for a moment, wondering what he was supposed to ask, then shook his head to speak. "W-Who are you?"

The adult-looking male remained quiet for a few moments, eyes cold and emotionless, and examined the other thoroughly before standing up, heading over to the bed with silent footsteps. His steps were graceful, not as clumsy as the younger Tsuna's, and held an air that made people want to turn and stare. It was like he demanded obedience and attention, but at the same time, didn't. "I am you, but from another world. Heard you calling out and decided to investigate."

The younger Tsuna felt his chest flutter at those words, had his prayers been answered? Sitting further up on the bed, he tried to crawl over, ignoring all the tubes that were attached to his arms and body, and accidentally moved one of the machines with him in his struggle. He wanted to get closer to see the other, but regardless of his struggle, those machines held him back and the tugs against his skin burned. Along with moving, his body just ached worse than before, forcing his already weakened muscles to work. After all, he wasn't supposed to be moving at all, at least, that was what the doctors said.

The older Tsuna simply sighed at the sight and moved close enough to settle next to the bed with the mattress creaking at the extra weight. He reached over to push back the child's bangs to get a better look of himself and couldn't help but crack a smile at the innocence that shone in those eyes, stroking a cheek gently. To think this was how he looked a long time ago, but no longer, he had lost that innocence from his world a long time ago. Still, he couldn't help but react in kindness compared to his usual cruelty. Was it because this was a younger version of himself or was it because of those eyes? Whatever it may be, it didn't matter. It meant the same thing to him.

"Are you sick?" The older Tsuna asked, his voice calm and emotionless as he peered over the attachments carefully, looking up to read the medications' names. He didn't know what they meant or what they were used for, he was not familiar with human things. After all, in Hell there was no need for such things, though they did use something different like herbs and magic for those badly injured. Regardless, the diseases that affiliated with human race were different or nonexistent on his part due to his body structure. This latter applied to most demons as well.

"Y-Yeah, the mean old doctors say that I'm going to die. What does dying mean?" Those large eyes were peering up at his older self curiously, tears still welling up, threatening to fall down those chubby cheeks. He cuddled into that cold hand, knowing it felt great against his warm skin, and closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them to look back up.

Older Tsuna wiggled his nose at such a question, such a difficult thing to answer. "It means that you simply die. I doubt you'll understand what it means at your current age, but you'll never see anyone here ever again. "

"But what about Mama?! She'll be all alone! She'll be so sad if I were to die."

Older Tsuna tilted his head at that, what was he supposed to say to something like that? It was not something he could answer without easily saying something wrong. And so he remained quiet. He remembered his own mother, a Nana from his own world, but she had passed away a long time ago due to a tragedy. There were also others he had met and seen over the years of his existence. His eyes peered once more over little Tsuna's body, examining it carefully, and searched for something that would give him an indication of what was happening to the little one.

Cancer, he presumed, and it had clearly worked itself all over the little human body to its latest stages. It would not be long before the body gave in to the disease itself. Still, that didn't matter to someone of his caliber, he was more than powerful enough to get rid of the sickness and bring the body back to full function. But the soul… The adult male mentally shook his head, it was too late, he would not be able to save it. It was already slowly detaching itself from the physical body and if he were to tie it down, it would just get rejected, leaving the body to rot in the process.

"I can save your body, but your soul would still die I'm afraid." Older Tsuna muttered, keeping his hand on the round cheek, knowing his touch was comforting to the child before him, and crept closer.

"Soul?" Little Tsuna narrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He didn't get it, not at all. But that didn't matter, he didn't need to know. As he thought it over, he looked over his older self and got an idea. It was stupid, but if it worked then perhaps he could die peacefully. "T-Then would you be able to keep Mama company?"

This made the older one blink in surprise, pulling his hand away to stare. He clearly hadn't been expecting such a thing. "What?"

"You can stay with Mama and do what I can't, right?" There was that desperately hopeful look in those eyes, eyes that the older one realized had been his own long ago when he had been talking to a certain person. Just talking to himself was bringing back memories that he didn't want to revisit, but it didn't matter anymore, he told himself. Everyone he once knew had already passed away. Well, anyone that was mortal.

Still, he had plenty of time to waste, it wasn't like he could die and this would kill off some boredom he had been previous suffering from. After all, nothing killed an immortal faster than boredom itself. "I can do it. I have plenty of time to spare. I will heal your body and take control of it. When I find your Mama being able to live on without me, I shall leave. Would that be alright with you? These terms?"

The younger Tsuna smiled so brightly, pleased about the outcome, and was clapping his hands in joy. He wanted nothing more than to hug his older self, to whisper the words of 'thank you' over and over again. If only these machines weren't holding him back and this stupid disease wasn't making everything so painful, then he could have. So instead the other Tsuna moved, shifting closer so he could pull the younger one against his chest, and felt those tears falling down, wetting his clothes. And he heard it, the happy response. "Yes."

"Well then, if you'll excuse me, I should start the process immediately." Leaning in further, the older Tsuna placed his hands on the back of the child, rubbing it gently, before letting his fingers glow. He whispered words of a spell that he hoped would bring his younger self to a good place after he died. After all, with such a caring heart and an unselfish request, he deserved such a place. No, older Tsuna shook his head at that, the child _will_ go somewhere nice and if he didn't, there were a few strings he could pull to ensure it. And if that didn't work, well, the threats will finish the job. He smiled lightly to himself as the body continued to cling to him, perhaps this will be a new life for him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: 10/18/15

"I-Impossible!"

Tsuna blinked emotionlessly, watching as the doctors and nurses ran around madly - like chickens that had lost their heads - trying to figure out what had happened to their once extremely sick and terminally-ill patient. They were all muttering to each other in wonder, all saying the same thing. It just wasn't possible for someone to heal like that and literally overnight, too. The child smirked in amusement and looked down at his new body, flexing his fingers carefully as he got used to everything while ignoring the out-of-body sensation he knew would eventually go away once he's settled in. Since his soul was similar to the previous Tsuna's, it had been accepted easily into the body with no trouble. It was like he had gained a new skin, a mortal skin over his real one that had been hidden away safely. The other Tsuna, of course, was already gone, passed away during the process of healing the body from its late stage of cancer. Now this life was his own to use as he liked, he'll have great entertainment for a good while, at least for the next couple of years.

"Tsuna!" Picking his head up, he watched as his new mother came busting into the isolation room and ran straight over to him with desperate, panic-filled eyes, wrapping her arms around him. He could see the yellow-protective barrier gown and mask placed half-on considering he was in isolation, clearly showing her state of mind.

His ears picked up the sound of the rolling glass door sealing shut, preventing air from coming in, and the footsteps on the other side of the glass walls, able to see the medical care workers on the other side. He winced as he was squeezed tightly, forced forward by the hug, and sighed. It appeared like the Nana here was similar to some others out there, so kindhearted and loving. He could get used to her and her actions. Still, regardless, he would also need to get used to being able to feel pain again, especially when that tight squeeze Nana was giving him was already excruciating. Slowly, he reached around to return the hug, knowing that she would be happy at that small show of affection. However, no matter how he tried, it was still awkward.

"You're okay! You'll live! Mama was so worried!" She was crying, but those tears were out of pure happiness and he remained where he was at, still impassive to the core. His eyes stared out towards the wall, unwilling to do anything else.

He could hear the whispers of 'miracle child' and many other things as the doctors spoke around him. They were still drawing his blood, gathering cultures, and checking over his body for any signs of the disease. To them, it just wasn't possible, no, it was impossible. And yet, they found nothing wrong. All the lab tests, blood work, and markers came back negative - he had nothing. Even the multi-organ failure that had been caused from the spread of his cancer appeared to be fully functioning and working as if nothing had happened. The same could be said to the previous treatments of chemotherapy, the signs of his skin sagging, his hair thinning, and many other symptoms had just disappeared.

To the results that appeared on the papers, he looked like he had been completely cured in their records or had been misdiagnosed by other staff members. This immediately led to an opened investigation among the floor that had been taking care of him to find out where exactly the information had gone wrong. Whatever the hospital went with or did, he was considered healthy by their standards and they no longer had a need to keep him around in the building. Soon, the tubes, IVs, and wires on his body were gone, everything discontinued. Once that occurred, the feeling of being numbed from the medication began to fade away, giving him back that freedom of movement.

Now he was just waiting to be discharged from the hospital on the same day they had learned of his cured body. The hospital could no longer keep him there regardless of the health care professionals who desired otherwise. Before long, he would head towards his new home, wondering how his new life would go.

Tsuna smirked evilly at that thought. Oh yes, he was going to have lots of fun. He stepped towards a car, peering up at his mother, who was muttering words of encouragement, as she walked him out of the building. He was listening to Nana still going off happily about how well he was and how worried she had been as she drove away with the largest grin on her face. She was so cheerful, so happy, and it made his chest flutter. He was beginning to see what the previous Tsuna had cared so much about and he smiled softly to himself, those cold eyes gaining some warmth into them. It brought out his instinct to protect her, to harbor her away from the evils of the world, just to continue seeing her smile so brilliantly. 'I see it now. I see why you wanted to protect her so much, Tsunayoshi.'

The arrival at his new home wasn't all that fancy, just him and his mother, but that was all that mattered. He wondered momentarily where Iemitsu, his so-called Papa, was at, before shrugging his shoulders. He had never cared much for that idiot, it wasn't as if he was around that often in the other worlds anyway. He had noticed the similarities like location, buildings, names and faces of people he had seen before, the family situation with Mama being the only one home with Papa gone, and many other things. However, there were also some differences, a couple of major ones that he didn't want to go into.

As he sat down to watch TV, he could hear Nana cooking up a feast in the kitchen, humming loudly to herself as she spun around and almost danced in that enclosed space. While the food was cooking, she was calling everyone she knew, friends mainly, to tell them the good news, and that smile never once left her lips. Tsuna chuckled at that, watching her momentarily, before turning back to his show. Yes, he could definitely get used to this and the food was definitely a bonus, though it might not be as good as his own.

* * *

Within a couple of days, he had already adjusted to his new life and body and all the conditions that came with it. It wasn't hard, but there were some he didn't appreciate. First of all, he didn't enjoy being treated as a child, even though he was mentally older than everyone around him, much less have the disabilities of one. It was hard to not have the strength to be able to pick up that chair or that book without struggling, his tiny arms and muscles just wouldn't comply with his wishes. Still, he was able to get away with it with a few flicks of his fingers, with a few spells of magic, simple things he could use without tiring his human body out.

Regardless, he rarely ever left home, there was no need to and there was no one outside waiting for him. One would think that the previous Tsuna's friends would come rushing over after finding out their friend would be alright. However, it never happened and he was left on his own. Still, that didn't stop him from eavesdropping on the older adults who came to visit Nana, listening in carefully as they spoke about him, and how he had once been known as Dame-Tsuna. The taunting tones the adults used were hidden under that overly sweet layer of kindness and he had been tempted to lash out violently if not for Nana's constant presence. Though, that didn't prevent him from using a few spells now and then to teach the fools a lesson.

Still, wherever Nana went, he followed along as well or, at least, wasn't too far behind, hiding in the shadows. It was during these times that he would actually leave the house to head to the store and he never minded. All the listings of food were amusing and there were a few he wanted to try out to satisfy his curiosity. He would sometimes separate from Nana to wonder about the shopping center, looking over the various items to get himself more adapted to this world, from the electronics to the clothes. It was different compared to everything he had once been used to. Before long, he wondered back to his mother before she missed him or realized he had gone missing, appearing behind her just when she turned around to look for him.

The new perspective was hard to adjust to as well, everything seemed to be so much bigger than it originally had been before simply because he was now smaller. Oh, how he wished this body would grow up faster.

"Ah, that's right, Tsuna," Nana spoke cheerfully as she picked up a box of cereal she knew her son would like to eat, placing it down into her cart with the rest of the food. The brunet lifted his head up curiously, holding out a bag of tomatoes he had been asked to grab. "You'll need to go back to school soon. I bet you miss all your friends there. Isn't that great? You'll be able to see them again."

"School?" Well, he shouldn't be surprised about it. He was in a six years old body. He would be in what, kindergarten? Still, school… Of all places he had to go to. Did the previous Tsuna know anyone there or had befriended someone? He'll just have to find out and hoped that the other Tsuna hadn't been so lonely. After all, no one had ever once visited the little brunet during his arrival back home.

* * *

Tsuna sneered hatefully, almost wanting to break his emotionless state to glare at everyone in the room as his fingers clenched painfully into the palm of his hand. There were _no_ friends in this classroom. No, they were all bullies, people who enjoyed tormenting him, taunting him, and pushing him around. They had obviously tormented the previous Tsuna, the desk he sat at revealed the proof, copied words from books and things they had probably gotten from their parents or older siblings were written all over it in sharpie. And that damn teacher did _nothing_.

No, the teacher had the nerve to say that it was how the class was showing their affections towards him, to show how much they cared. What bullshit! It made him glower at the thought of his previous self being tossed around like a rag doll with no one stepping in to set some boundaries, to save him. Oh, it made his blood boil in anger.

He could hear the taunts, the insults, and the hands touching his shoulders to push and shove him around for their own amusement. Snapping his eyes up at them, he finally glared, dropping the classroom's temperature by a several degrees. He watched in satisfaction as they pulled away, never expecting him to fight back, going quiet…except for one.

The student didn't seem to care or noticed the change in the atmosphere and continued on. He was either stupid or brave. Tsuna decided it was a mixture of both with a little more on the stupidity side and stood up from his desk. This idiot would be used to set an example for the rest of the class to follow. No one was ever going to get away with messing with him. No one and he'll make sure of that.

"I'll curse you!" He screamed, his voice squeaky from the obvious young vocal cords. "I'll curse you to hell!"

"You'll curse me? What are you? Three?" There was more laughter and the boy only backed off since the teacher had just stepped back in. Everyone rushed to head back to their seats but his words had caused the effect he had desired. The students were looking between him and the other boy in wonder and fear. No one spoke to him, no one went near him, and that was perfectly fine. Everything was fine.

The next day, the class learned that the so-called bully was found floating in the river after falling off a bridge while playing with a bunch of his classmates. He had died after hitting the water, slamming head first into the rocks at the bottom. The impact had smashed his skull open wide open to spill out the contents inside, letting the water wash everything away.

No one dared to come near Tsuna ever again.

* * *

" _Tsuna, how was your first week of school? Was it good? Are you settling in just fine?"_

" _It was fine, Mama, though no one really recognized me."_

" _Well, there's always next week, right?"_

" _Yeah, next week. Ha."_

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: 10/18/15

Years have passed and Tsuna felt himself growing used to this timeline, though it was still odd to think that he was actually an older being trapped in a thirteen years old body. Perhaps this was how the Arcobaleno in the other worlds and this current one felt when they had been shifted from adults to babies. Regardless, it wasn't as if he had lost anything, his intelligence was still there in full capacity as well as his special abilities. Although, his said abilities have been weakened and limited due to his new form, forcing him to condense his powers to prevent them from overwhelming his body, he was still lethal on his own. The people of Hell and the mortal world, Earth, called his abilities 'magic', stuff that normal people weren't able to use or understand. There were a few humans who could use something similar, like psychics, but it was nothing compared to what he could do. There were also those dying will flames that the mafia used, but it did little against someone of his stature. Flames weren't powerful enough to overwhelm his powers, magic.

Of course, his form didn't stop him from placing curses of bad luck on the humans or creating misfortune for fun just to see how much they would squirm under the pressure. It was amusing how humans flocked together from one little disaster. Disgusting little creatures, rodents were a better term to identify them. Of course, he knew better, rodents could easily become more than just an annoyance if he wasn't careful. Still, humans were entertaining creatures and if pushed to their limit, would they shatter underneath or would they go beyond their limit? It was such an interesting notion.

But he was digressing. He normally used his abilities on the entire school population and took enjoyment in tormenting everyone around him. He spared those who didn't bother with him, but none of the fools who tried to harm or make fun of him or Nana. Those idiots would pay dearly for their imprudent actions.

Among the crowd he'd attack, Tsuna loved the teachers' reactions the best. They would always deny such things, such mystical occurrences that they knew couldn't be explained by normal methods, and would continue to do so. Their minds just couldn't comprehend such actions. Children could, but not the adults. Like that one time he had made a bloody hand start tapping on a teacher's window during the middle of the night at their apartment ten floors above the ground. He sadly couldn't see the reaction of the teacher, but it was the end result he was more after. That said teacher, who had made fun of him during the middle of class, stumbled in with eyes wide in fear and dark bags under the eyes, alerting the brunet that the man had never gotten any sleep throughout the entire night. Of course, the teacher never bothered him again and a few days later had switched schools, still in denial, telling himself that what had happened to him had been nothing more than a hallucination.

There had been a few incidents where he had gone too far with his _games_ , somewhat close to murder like the first child, though that never bothered him. It generally occurred when those idiots who never learned had pushed him over the edge or clearly pissed him off. One student a grade or two back had decided to throw his book bag into the pool and his school shoes into the garbage outside the campus. That wouldn't normally bother him, however, when she wrote terrible things about Nana and himself all over the front of his locker ranging from how 'whorish' and 'idiotic' she was with various comments for him, he snapped.

It was then that Tsuna remembered something important about this fool. This student was on the track team, right? He grinned evilly, his eyes darkening and narrowing as he thought of a fitting punishment and when it appeared in his mind, he mentally laughed to himself. Later, everyone learned that the student had gotten into a car accident because of some defective lights at a cross-section. An eighteen-wheeler had passed a light that was still green just as the car the student was in did the same, resulting in a massive crash that left her paralyzed from the waist down. She would never be able use her legs ever again. Yes, it was a fitting punishment, he told himself. It was perfect.

Over time, people had long learned to avoid him and as long as they didn't bother him, he wouldn't either. There were, of course, still a few idiots here and there who wanted to test the rumors and the end results would only heighten his nickname, Cursed-Tsuna. Still, regardless of how much entertainment he got at school, home was fun and more enjoyable since he was with Nana, the only person he sought out to protect and who actually cared about him. Though he had taken the request to stay with her by the previous Tsuna, he had really come to care for the ditzy woman. He didn't mind giving her a few good-luck spells to keep her safe from the rest of the world every now and then.

"Tsuna, how was school today?" Nana asked over dinner, lifting her chopsticks up higher with a wide smile. She was so glad that her precious son had turned out to be such a wonderful dear, doing whatever she asked of him with little to no arguments, but she was sad at the same time. He didn't show any interest towards anything and simply did it emotionlessly. Not only that, he'd never brought home any friends. She wanted her son to interact with others outside and there were those terrible rumors about her son spreading about, but she knew those all had to be lies. She knew her son better than anyone else.

He was too precious and so very kindhearted because she had watched that one time he defended her from some very obviously intoxicated men during a shopping trip in the middle of the day or help her get back her stolen purse. After all, anyone who did that much, respected and obviously cared deeply for their mother had to be a good child, no matter what.

"It was fine. My old teacher came back today."

"Oh! It's Nezu, right? I'm glad he got out of that train accident and is back to working again. That was such a tragedy."

"Yeah." He didn't want to say that he had been the one to cause it. Of course, none of the teachers ever believed the children that he was the cause of the curses, regardless of how obvious it was, and would injure anyone who dared to harm him. It was a never-ending cycle he enjoyed. He had almost laughed maliciously at the memory of seeing his teacher being dragged across at the station with his arm trapped in the door because it had closed faster than it normally would.

The two family members conversed a little more before Tsuna got up to help with the dishes, cleaning them up properly while Nana dried them. She was happily humming to herself, well aware that her son was listening intently.

Tsuna peered out of the window for a moment and tilted his head, blinking. He had felt a shiver run down his spine in that one moment. A sign that alerted him that something was coming his way. Were the wheels of destiny starting to turn? Despite that thought, it didn't shake the odd feeling that something was going to happen soon, very soon. Shrugging his shoulders, he decided he could handle anything that came his way. After all, he was the– No, he couldn't really be calling himself that when he was so limited in this body.

Shrugging his shoulders for a second time, he wiped his hands and said goodnight to his mother before heading up the stairs to his bedroom, settling in to finish up some of his homework that needed to be turned in tomorrow. It wasn't hard since he had already seen this before and he finished about eighty-five percent of it before leaving the rest blank. He just wanted to pass the class with a B and get out of school. He was halfway done after all, considering he was in middle school, and college wasn't something he was intending on attending. It wasn't something he needed, considering who he was.

Finishing up everything, he picked up a book from his bookcase after looking over the numerous titles that rested on the shelves, his eyes scanning over everything carefully, before choosing the one he really wanted to reread. He made a small note in the back of his mind that he needed to go out tomorrow and buy some new ones to keep himself entertained. Every title on his shelf had already been read at least once, a few two to three times. Flipping to the front page, he leaned against his bed, starting to read, and smiled lightly to himself. Humans and their stories…

* * *

An alarm clock was ringing repeatedly in the background, the sun just rising in the distance as its light slipped through the cracks of the curtains. The world was starting to wake up from the sun's brilliant radiance, people and animals alike all stirring. Tsuna grumbled slightly at it, trying to nudge deeper into his blankets to fall back asleep, enjoying the warmth that was trapped within the covers. However, the alarm continued to blare its existence in the background to the brunet, enough so that Tsuna slowly opened his eyes drowsily. He took one glance at the stupid device and flicked his fingers. Instantly, the device was magically flung aside into a wall with a loud crash, collapsing into multiple pieces once it reached the ground. The parts scattered about, gears tumbling, wires spreading, and the glass cracked with one of the hands off the center.

Tsuna blinked a few times before hurriedly burying himself back into his bed, closing his eyes so that he could go back to sleep. He didn't want to go to school today, there was no point in doing so after all when one knew the material already. However, he only remained asleep for five more minutes before another alarm rang, making his eyebrows twitch. He could hear Nana coming up the stairs now and he slowly sat up, looking over his room and then at the ringing alarm clock, sighing heavily. Waving his hand, the second alarm turned off and the one that was on the floor pulled itself back together before hopping up onto the table to join the second one. He nodded to himself in approval, everything looking normal as it was supposed to.

Peering up, he watched as his bedroom door was knocked on and opened, Nana stepping in with the widest grin he had ever seen. It wasn't unusual on her but how long it lasted caught his attention and he almost narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the sight. That look meant that she was planning something and whether it was terrible or good for him, he wasn't sure.

"Tsuna, you're awake! Great!" Nana smiled happily, clapping her hands together, never once dropping the cheerful expression. "Breakfast is almost done and I have a great surprise for you, too! Come down soon, okay."

Before he could speak up and ask what she meant, Nana was already running down the stairs in a hurry, leaving Tsuna behind to simply raise an eyebrow at the strangeness of the actions. Throwing his blankets off, he swung his feet over the side of the bed and got up, stretching his body with a loud yawn. As he got dressed for the day, pulling the curtains of his window back, he looked out to the world for a moment before turning around. He wasn't interested in anything outside his window, it wasn't all that amazing anyway, and made his way out of his room, down the stairs. The feeling of tiredness was still upon him, forcing him to yawn again. He took his normal seat at the table when he entered the kitchen, starting on the breakfast that had been placed out for him, and peeked up at the clock. He still had plenty of time before he needed to leave and head to class. Maybe he should just skip today… It sounded quite tempting.

As he finished up, putting his dishes away, he watched as his mother quickly jumped up from the table to follow him and lifted a piece of paper in her hands up towards him. He raised an eyebrow at the behavior and blinked a few times as he tried to read the paper, but he couldn't.

"Tsuna! Look! There was this interesting flyer in the mail this morning! It looked so interesting that I called the number on it immediately." Nana waved the brochure around happily, looking like she was going to break out into a dance soon. Though she knew her son didn't need the extra boost in grades since he was simply passing everything with a B+, she was hoping that this tutor might be able to bring out more of her son's wonderful personality and make a few new friends. Well, one could only hope.

"Mom, that looks like a scam." Tsuna simply replied, no longer calling Nana 'Mama' anymore, and took a moment to snatch the paper out of the woman's hands. He tilted his head as he peered over the information carefully. Why did this paper look so familiar to him? Wiggling his nose, he closed his eyes for a moment and then shook his head. It probably wasn't that important anyway.

"Does it?" She stopped at that, peering over the paper curiously over her son's shoulders. Maybe her hope wasn't that high up as she thought. "But it's not asking for any money though…"

"Ciaossu!"

Both Sawada's snapped their heads up at that sound, eyes darting towards the kitchen table where they saw a baby standing there with a suitcase. He was dressed in a fancy black suit with a matching colored fedora on top of the large head, both expensive-looking for someone his size. Pure black eyes were staring out towards the two family members and he had a cunning grin on his expression. A yellow pacifier was attached to his chest and a green chameleon was shifting around on the top of the hat, flicking out its tongue for a moment with its yellow beady eyes staring out just like its master's.

Nana was the first to say something. "Eh? A child? Are you lost perhaps? Where's your Mama?" She smiled brightly, taking a step forward with a kind smile, leaning over to get a better look. Tsuna simply remained where he was at, taking in the intruder carefully through dull eyes. He knew this person - the sun Arcobaleno, the number one hitman in the world, Reborn. But why would he be here of all places? He was calculating whether this baby was an enemy and looked around momentarily to see if there was anything he could use to protect himself and Nana without using obvious magic. Bad luck might have to work with this baby. It was only then that he found the reason as to why the other was here and he relaxed momentarily, not enough to show however. Tsuna huffed, the wheels of destiny was indeed turning.

'Not bad for my new student, he's aware that I don't appear normal, but he still needs some work. Though, it looks like the hyper intuition is already powerful enough and working.' Reborn smirked before flicking up his fedora to reveal his eyes from under the shadows of the rim. He was a little disappointed that he wasn't able to get a reaction from the brunet though, no yelling about why he was a baby or anything along the line. Looks like his fun was already ruined, and at the beginning, too. "I'm the home tutor, Reborn."

Tsuna decided that it would be best to remain quiet and tilted his head to peer over, never changing his expression. "You're the tutor?"

"Yes, that's right. I came here early to evaluate you. I will be following you all day to see if you're up to my standards and what some of your weaknesses are."

Blinking a few more times, he looked up at his mother, back down at Reborn, and then to the clock before sighing. "Do whatever you want, I'm heading to school. I'll see you later, Mom." Picking up his book bag, he didn't spare a second glance at the hitman and went out the door, locking it behind him as he made his way out. However, as soon as he'd stepped a few feet away from the house, he looked back when he heard some footsteps beside him and saw Reborn just on the stone ledge, walking with him if as everything was perfectly normal.

'Ignore him.' He told himself, heading off to do what he normally did around this time of the month. He wasn't going to let someone disrupt his routine. Tsuna yawned again, bringing his arms behind his back to crack his neck, and instead of heading towards school, he went to the bookstore that was along the way. He vanished into the many rows of bookcases almost immediately. Reborn still followed closely behind, black eyes observing his student carefully and intently, looking at the books that were pulled out to put into Tsuna's arms.

"What are you doing?"

Tsuna peered down at the baby for a moment, dull eyes never wavering. "Shopping." He pulled out another book that appeared interesting and added it to his growing collection. Every now and then, he would take one out from the shelf and flip through the pages to glance over the content before deciding to return it back or add it.

"Obviously. Why?" Reborn grumbled, flicking his fedora up higher to see better due to his cursed height. He noted he would need to work on Tsuna's speaking, it needed to be more detailed rather than just a blunt words, and for some odd reason, he felt like he was being mocked in that blank tone.

"Ran out of things to read. I need more." Tsuna peered down at his pile of nine books and added one more before stepping around Reborn, heading to the front. The hitman noted how well adapted Tsuna was towards this place, it was obvious that he had been here more often than not.

The identification he had received on Sawada Tsunayoshi was tiny, only two to three pages long, written by Iemitsu himself and it didn't tell him much on his target. No, it didn't tell him anything at all. All it had was a simple summary that Tsuna is a very quiet child, known as Cursed-Tsuna by the rest of the school, with B average grades and hardly spoke much. He was friendless and had a tendency to avoid interaction with other people. That was it, nothing about habits, lifestyle or what he did daily. 'Useless. Of course it would be, it was written by Iemitsu. After all, I wouldn't be surprised if he hasn't seen his son for years,' Reborn growled to himself, continuing his observations. As for the title of Cursed-Tsuna, all he could get out of the neighborhood and some of the classmates he had passed on the way to the Sawada household was that he brought bad luck to those around him. Conversely, Reborn didn't believe in such things, it was preposterous. 'How ridiculous.'

As he thought that, he felt something hard slam against him and collapsed to the ground with a grunt, pain overriding his senses. Immediately going alert for a surprise attack, he turned around from his position ready to strike…only to see a stack of books. They had somehow piled up on top of him, some sliding down as he shifted, hitting with a loud slam onto the floor. The hitman blinked questionably and pulled himself out of the mess before looking up at the bookshelf, wondering what had happened. His eyes trailed over the wooden board that was supposed to hold the books up. Apparently, it was broken on one side and, in turn, the items had shifted at the weight, falling just as he walked underneath.

'What the…' Reborn looked over the nails that were supposed to hold up the shelf and saw that they had been rusted through, broken at the ends. Not thinking much on it, he stepped away from the mess. There was no point on bothering with something that obviously wasn't done by a human. It _couldn't_ be done by human hands, the nails were untouched, just rotted through by exposure to air and finally collapsed from the weight. It was nothing more than a pure coincident that it had suddenly fallen on him.

Dashing to catch up with his new student, Reborn hadn't noticed the strange maniacal grin slipping underneath Tsuna's bangs.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that though this will follow along with the manga, it won't at the same time. Meaning, things will be changed for obvious reasons.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: 10/18/15
> 
> Quote:  
> Like everything, relationships start out rocky. It's rare for one to start off correctly right off the bat. However, because of that nature, those are the easiest ones to break, nothing is there to tie them down. It's only when the truth is revealed, pain is felt, and blood is shredded that something good comes out of nothing. But it must be worked for, nothing is ever given for free. It's through those rocky starts that the love that is felt can last a lifetime. - Metamorcy

"Ah! Sawada, back again?" The cashier, an elderly fellow with hardly any hair left on the top, smiled sincerely at the teenager's approach. He slowly got up from the chair he had been settled on where he was watching the camera screens and leaned against the counter to keep himself upright. He observed as Tsuna nodded slowly and placed the newly collected books onto the counter, ready to buy them. The brunet reached into his pocket to yank out his wallet and pulled out the right amount of money to pay for everything. The elderly man shuffled the books closer towards himself to count and it was during that time that he noticed Reborn below on the ground. He immediately gave a warm smile. Immediately, the baby jumped up onto the table, glancing between the two with his hands on his waist, and Leon flicked its tongue out for a moment. "Why hello there, are you related to Sawada here? And what's your name, little one?"

"Ciaossu, I'm Reborn, a hitman and this one's tutor." Reborn announced without any hesitation, watching his student to see if he could get a reaction. But there was nothing, those dull eyes were simply staring over the books as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. The hitman mentally grumbled, looks like he wouldn't be getting anything out of the brunet. How disappointing. He always enjoyed tormenting his students and seeing their reactions due to his status and form, it was his form of entertainment.

"That's funny, little one," The elderly man didn't say anything more on the subject, thinking it was all just a joke, and turned back to the teenager. "Well, Sawada, I got some new books in recently, would you like to see them?"

Tsuna seemed to perk up at that and nodded, watching as the cashier leaned down underneath the counter to pick up five new books that were below. He looked at each one individually, reading the summaries, and flipped through the pages before selecting two among the pile, adding them to the other ten. "I'll get all of these. The usual please."

"No problem, I'll give you the usual discount and have them ready for you when you come by after school. Take the one you want to read now like always." The cashier began ringing up the prices and handed the one Tsuna wanted to take with him to school, placing the rest into a plastic bag to keep behind the counter. He added a little note onto the bag to alert anyone that these items were paid for and belonged to the brunet if he wasn't around during that time. Reborn watched as the cost rose with each ring and at the end, the final price was listed, much higher than what a normal middle school student would spend on just books. Actually, why would a mere student be spending this much in the first place? Reborn raised an eyebrow at that curiously, recording the amount into his mind to inquire about later on.

"Do you do this often?" Reborn asked as he viewed Tsuna holding onto one of the books in his hands after putting away his wallet.

"No, just every now and then."

"He comes here about once or twice a month and buys a whole bunch each time," The cashier spoke up, laughing in amusement. It wasn't unusual for people to question Tsuna's spending habits, the other workers had already gotten used to it and even adjusted to the brunet's overly quiet nature. Despite the rumors that had been flooding around, the cashier himself or the rest of the workers didn't believe them, they couldn't be true since they saw the brunet plenty of times and nothing bad ever happened. "He's quite unlike the other kids his age. Well, at least he goes out and buy food to treat himself at times."

Tsuna started to look uncomfortable at being spoken about and shifted on his feet, wondering if he would be able to escape those eyes. He blinked again, peering up at the clock, and there he found his chance. "I need to head to class. I'll come back after school to pick the books up."

"Sure thing. Have a nice day, Sawada!"

Reborn continued to follow his student and hopped up onto Tsuna's right shoulder, riding along. He had expected some retaliation, but didn't receive any, just silence. It was like Tsuna didn't care about anything at all. Grumbling again, he realized once more that he wouldn't be having any fun with his student compared to Dino before. No, this one was going to be far too quiet. Normally, he would be happy about this whole situation, it was a nice change, but it wasn't a good thing. Tsuna appeared too emotionless, too secretive, and looked at everything as if it wasn't worth his time. A Vongola boss couldn't appear like that, it would be considered disrespectful to others. It was one of the many things he would need to change during the course of his teaching.

As they got to school, many students turned to stare at them while they passed, Reborn believing it to be because of him riding shotgun, and expected some to come forward to ask about his appearance. However, none did. No, when Reborn looked into the eyes of the students, he could see it, the fear radiating within those orbs. They were all scared of Tsuna. Well, that was odd.

While walking to class, no one dared to get too close, some running away when Tsuna did and others stepping aside as he passed down the hallway. Reborn quickly concluded that this was a normal occurrence, registering it into the back of his mind. Eventually, the brunet settled into his chair in the classroom, placing down his bag, and pulled out his new book to read, not even bothering to do anything else. The hitman huffed at how uneventful everything was, despite the weirdness around the school, and jumped off, landing onto the table to look up his student. Nothing, no expression still, and even when the bell rang getting the professor along with the rest of the students to walk in, no one interacted with him. Tsuna was left on his own device, reading his new book as if nothing was wrong and he flipped a page to continue.

When class started, he was still ignored: never talked to, never called out, or asked about. Tsuna was simply by himself and the hitman guessed that because he was near the brunet, everyone else kept away from him as well. It was boring, Reborn admitted, and he ended up wandering off in his boredom, disappearing out of the classroom since he figured his student wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.

If he had looked back, he would have noticed the brunet was watching his movements carefully from the corner, eyes narrowed dangerously almost like a glare. Those that noticed the look from him felt a shiver run down their spines and immediately rotated away in fear. Those eyes, those dark eyes, promised mischief and despair to the students who saw them and so Tsuna continued to be ignored, no one daring to look at him just in case they got them turned towards them instead.

As for Reborn, the baby was examining the school building thoroughly, quickly making his little ports to enter and leave rooms while examining the class population to see if there were any remarkable guardians he could use. So far, he hadn't found any that stood out right away, but he had plenty of time to comprehensively search each individual later. As he stepped towards the attendance office to get a better listing of the student population, his sharp ears picked up the jiggling of something metal-like being shaken repeatedly and peered up just in time to see something blue coming straight at him. Instantly, his large black eyes widened in shock and he jumped to the side, dodging as a set of lockers crashed down at his previous spot.

The force of air that came with the crash was almost strong enough to send his fedora flying if he hadn't lifted his hand up to stop it and he peered towards the lockers in question, suspicion growing and multiplying within his mind. He stared up at the wall where they had once been connected to and yet, he didn't see anything odd. It looked like it had been done naturally. There were no machines, no human's hands at work, nothing. Leon shifted around at the top of his hat, flicking out a tongue as if saying something, and Reborn simply gave a grunt in return, jumping up to get on top of the fallen lockers. The doors to the classrooms surrounding the area began to open up carefully and the baby escaped into one of his new portals to prevent himself from getting caught at the scene.

That was the second time today he had been in an accident or almost in one. He thought back to the rumors about Tsuna, Curse-Tsuna, before shaking his head. They couldn't be true. It was ridiculous enough as it was, especially considering the nature of the incidents. Then again, the baby knew about curses better than anyone else, he was, after all, currently under one.

Regardless, Reborn kept going with his mission in mind and stepped into the office to peer around, watching for anything odd in the room before making his way to the cabinets. Within those drawers contained all the information on the students such as their parents, their health records, phone numbers, address, grades, and much more. He pulled out the reports that caught his interest, browsing through others that might be alright, and recorded a few names here and there that seemed suspicious in the terms of mafia-related. With the large stack of work he gained, he knew he would need plenty of time to research everything as effectively as possible. He couldn't miss a single thing, even more so when it came to securing the safety of the Vongola heir. When he finished, he pushed the drawers back, making sure that everything looked like it did before he arrived.

However, just as he turned around and took a step forward to get away, something crashed directly behind him. Reborn couldn't help but jump in surprise, completely not expecting that in such a tiny room, one he had checked thoroughly beforehand, and twisted around to see a potted plant that had once been on the windowsill now broken below at his feet. Thoughts of scenarios flashed through his head. If he had stayed still for a little bit longer, there was no doubt in his mind that it would have hit him without him even knowing and he might have been effectively knocked out.

He hadn't even heard the pot slipping off, much less finally falling towards it doom until the end. The shards of the pot were pointing downwards, embedding themselves into the floor like daggers, and the dirt that had been inside the container had spread across the once clean tiles upon breaking. The plant itself was drooping over like it was dying, the leaves hanging downwards, and its roots were up in the air, no longer protected by the soil. The baby cursed, this was getting preposterous, there was no way all of these incidents could be mere coincidences, and yet he had no evidence to prove otherwise. Leon flicked its tongue in agreement.

They were, or looked like, accidents. No one was around to push them off, no wires, no tempering, no nothing. Shaking his head, he made his way out of the office, not bothering with cleaning up the mess, and this time moved through the vents instead to ensure his safety. There was nothing here that could harm him, no outside items that could come tumbling down on top of him.

However, that thought was thrown out of the window when all of a sudden the metal below his tiny feet crumbled and, in a desperate attempt to prevent himself from falling to what could be considered his doom, he grabbed a hold of the sides, wincing slightly when the metal cut into his hands and fingers. A hiss escaped his lips, he watched momentarily as blood dripped down his skin before looking below his hanging feet.

A water heater…an _open_ water heater…Reborn narrowed his eyes at that, if he had actually fallen all the way… He shook his head at the thought, he needed to get out of this situation first and foremost before thinking of anything else. With the help of Leon, he was able to secure himself back onto the vent and kept his partner attached to him just in case one of the metal squares decided to give way again. Looking down at the heater, he had been lucky. If he had actually fallen all the way, it was undeniable that he would have gotten out alive, but with some serious burns, burns that would definitely leave permanent scars on his skin.

Reborn cursed to himself, pulling his fedora downward to hide his eyes. Perhaps the rumors…were true.

* * *

Tsuna almost wanted to break out into a maniacal laughter when he saw the baby slipping back into the room, peering around cautiously for anything that might be a threat to his safety. It was funny to see the hitman acting like this and he'd almost started shaking in an effort to contain himself. Reborn was obviously starting to realize that something strange was going on, well, misfortune after misfortune does that to people after all.

His amused brown eyes peered straight into those black orbs and watched as Reborn's own narrowed slightly at the sight of him. He gave an indifferent look before going back to his book. It looks like he was going to have some fun for the next few days in the effort of getting rid of his new annoyance. Though he was impressed that the baby had been able to avoid all his bad luck attempts, a question remained hanging in his head. Just how long was this Reborn going to last against him?

After all, Reborn was just an annoying enemy that needed to be taken care of. He was an endangering presence to Nana and himself that needed to be taken away to ensure their safety.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: 10/18/15

"So, are you going to tell me who you are and why you've been following me around all day?" Tsuna asked at long last once he had settled into his room after school, never once looking up from his book except when walking around. He was halfway done with his new one he had bought his morning and had a whole new stack beside him to go through, but he was in no hurry. If he rushed then he would simply become bored once more and that was something he'd like to avoid. He was settled at the small table he had brought out from underneath his bed, his arms resting on the top, and Reborn was on other side, sipping on some tea Nana had brought up for them both. The hitman was propped up by a large pillow, allowing him to be settled at the edge of the table. He made a note in the back of his mind that he would need to bring out the coffee machine to get that caffeine he desired soon. He couldn't quite live off of tea for his desired caffeine intake.

Immediately, as soon as that question passed, Reborn explained his true purpose for being here while trying to hide his twitching when the teen before him was obviously not paying attention to him. Worse was that even when he mentioned that Tsuna was supposed to become the Tenth boss of a powerful mafia organization, the brunet just flipped the page in his book uncaringly. He snapped angrily at the lack of respect towards him and immediately struck, his little feet connecting with Tsuna's forehead painfully.

The hitman watched in satisfaction as the boy flew back silently, dropping his book along the way, and slammed into the door behind, just missing the metal knob above. Then the body went still for a moment, slumping over, and Reborn presumed that he had used too much force, effectively knocking him out. Looks like Tsuna had no experience with pain, something he would need to work on. Still, he could use this quiet time to formulate a plan against the other so everything worked out just fine.

However, when he heard a grunt, Reborn snapped his head back up, looking at the brunet on the other side of the room in hidden surprise. Slowly, Tsuna blinked his eyes uninterestingly, flexed his neck until he heard a crack, and then stood up from his fallen position. He stared at the sun Arcobaleno for a moment before leaning down to pick up his book that was just a few feet away, opening up to the previous page he had been on, and sat back down at the table to continue reading. The entire time, he didn't say a word nor did anything else, going back into his earlier position before the attack.

Reborn huffed in disappointment, he had been hoping he would be able to get a response in return and was clearly upset when he didn't. 'This is going to be harder than I thought.' Just as he let those words pass his mind, he was picking up his cup of tea by the handle when he heard a snap and something shattering. His large black eyes blinked in surprise, already on alert after everything that happened today, and froze as he peered down. He could feel something warm soaking into his suit and noticed through the corner of his eyes that he was only holding the handle. Reborn silently cursed. Apparently, the main body of the cup had somehow broken off, shattering onto the table, and spilled all the contents over him. The glass material had just barely missed from impaling him, just at the rim of the table where his lap was underneath. Growling to himself angrily, he jumped up from his spot, glaring at the offending liquid and then at his clothes, knowing he would need to change immediately. His eyes went to the broken cup, examining it thoroughly before finally settling on the brunet, Leon staring as well.

"You…those rumors about you are true, aren't they." It was a statement, not a question. The hitman quickly jumped to the closest to change into something dry, placing his wet clothes into a basket for washing.

"Depends on which rumor you've heard. There are too many to list." Tsuna answered back without skipping a beat, turning a page, his eyes still glued to the words.

"The one about you bringing bad luck to those around you."

A flicker of a smirk appeared on those lips, but before Reborn could get a good examination of it, it was gone. "That one is true."

The hitman narrowed his eyes at that. "I don't believe it."

"Then don't, it matters very little to me whether you do or not."

Reborn was now glaring, his anger just borderline of spilling over uncontrollably, and tensed down to prevent himself from outright attacking his student.

Finally, the brunet peered up at long last and spoke, breaking the rising tension in the room. It helped snap Reborn back into his normal disposition before he did something stupid. "I'm in a good mood today. Would you like to see how far I will go to protect this household from people like you?" He knew right away that the hitman was curious, though Reborn hid it completely, and snapped his book closed, placing it onto the table after leaving a mark to remind himself where he was currently at. Leaning over, he carefully lifted the baby up into his arms, cradling him cautiously against his chest, and made his way out of the house, muttering a quick 'I'll be back' to Nana along the way.

Reborn blinked inquisitively, wondering what Tsuna was going to do much less where exactly they were going. They were starting to leave the neighborhood and enter the shopping districts when he spoke up. "Where are you taking me?"

"You should be able to recognize this area simply from what it holds. We're almost there."

The hitman peered around to get a better situation on the area, unable to hide his surprise when he realized where exactly they were walking into. It was _not_ a good area, Reborn deemed it so the moment he examined the place. There were too many open windows, spaces, alleyways, and far too little people and if there were someone around, they were most likely half-dead. It was the perfect place to kidnap, kill, and/or hide bodies.

Reborn tensed, tempted to make his partner transform into a gun to defend himself when he sensed movements from all around, eyes peering down at them with all sorts of intentions. There was no way his student would be able to protect himself in this place against so many people, not yet anyway. However, Tsuna continued to move deeper into the territory without a hint of fear within his eyes, no, they were simply dull in color, expressionless without care.

As they passed an alleyway, Reborn could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rising up. He could sense it, the coldness of a gun barrel being pointed towards his direction, no, at Tsuna's direction from a distance. Looking up from the corner of his eyes, he could see the end of it slipping out from a window, hidden well under some broken curtains. From the aim and direction of the barrel, if the bullet were to be fired, it would go straight through Tsuna's head without a doubt.

'Not good, got to redirect him.' He thought to himself and yet, Tsuna continued to move, never noticing the threat, or was he perhaps ignoring it? Regardless, before Reborn could take action towards the assassin, there was a loud explosion. Snapping his head towards the direction, the sound had echoed from where the gun had been sticking out and he could see the regiments of fire and smoke slipping out of the window. However, the threat was gone, vanishing behind the wall, and that was all Reborn cared about at this point of time.

Tsuna didn't flinch at the noise and turned, heading straight into the building from where it had originated, walking up the stairs without any hesitation. His steps were quiet as if they had been carefully placed, but the squeaking of the stairs gave him away and it echoed in the corridors. Eventually, they came to the floor where Reborn had estimated the assassin was on and Tsuna continued onwards down the dirty hallway where the walls were covered in mold and mud. There was paint chipping off to reveal the foundation underneath and there was a terrible stench in the air that Reborn didn't dare identify. Some doors were open, revealing the occupants within: broken bodies and minds, drug addicts, and families covered in rags. And still, the two went deeper until Tsuna finally stopped in front of a door.

Reborn blinked, questioning why they were here of all places, before he heard it. There was the screaming of a woman within and what sounded like something being rolled around repeatedly on the floor. The faint scent of smoke and gunpowder was radiating from the enclosed room, alerting him that that this had been the exact room where the assassin resided.

Without any hesitation, the brunet reached forward and opened the door, peering inside with caution thrown to the wind. He stepped in as his honey-colored eyes glanced down at the body of a woman dressed in a suit with an emblem stitched on at the upper right chest that Reborn recognized to be from an enemy famiglia. The hitman examined the situation carefully, looking where the woman's hands were covered in her own blood and then at the gun that had been dropped, covered in smoke, with the surrounding area slightly blackened. 'The gun exploded…' It was a rare, but still normal occurrence. Faulty weapons can backfire and cause sparks, normally used to send the bullet flying, to create an explosion. Still, it wasn't possible for it to happen now of all times, unless… Reborn snapped his eyes up at his student. 'It's not possible…except if the rumor is completely true then…'

"Y-You!" The woman finally snarled out, realizing that there was someone else in the room besides her, and reached out with her bloody hands to search for a weapon she could use. She went for the one behind her waist and pulled out a handgun, clicking off the safety. Reborn tensed, ready to fight back with Leon, and yet Tsuna remained still, uncaring, unbothered by the threat. "You're that cursed man's son! Die!" And the moment she pressed the trigger, another explosion occurred. This time, the momentary flames sent the bullet backwards into her own body, hitting just in the right shoulder. Another scream came next, breaking through the apartment, almost enough to rattle the place.

The hitman stared, it wasn't possible, it wasn't…

"Reborn, people were after Mom and me before I was chosen to become Vongola Decimo," Tsuna muttered under his breath, unaffected by the amount of blood that was beginning to pool around the enemy, seeping into the dirty carpets below. He wasn't even listening to the curses thrown at him. He was unbothered by everything, knowing very well that Reborn was heeding everything he was saying intently. Slowly, a grin began to appear on his lips, spreading rapidly, and the hitman couldn't help but shiver at it. The smile was a show of insanity, of madness, of how _warped_ his student was in mind and body. And yet, Tsuna continued to speak, "Do you know how annoying it is? The bodies are always hard to get rid of."

Reborn heard something cracking, something breaking, and more screams coming from the woman. He turned his attention to the enemy famiglia member to see what was going on. He wished he hadn't.

Twisting - the limbs were _twisting_. And they continued to do so regardless of the woman's wishes and cries until there was a large snap that made even Reborn flinch. The flesh had broken apart from the strain, blood spilling out from the broken vessels. Arteries, skin, and muscles underneath were revealed for the whole world to see. Pieces of bones were poking out innocently, parts scattered across the flesh, and splinters were pointing towards whatever direction they wanted to. He watched as the arms and legs continued to bend into odd directions, impossible directions that were inhuman, and then the midsection…

Reborn turned away, tempted to throw up the contents of his dinner, but contained his stomach. He was a killer - this should be nothing for him. However, this was way beyond just a normal bullet in the forehead or chest, beyond torture he had used to get answers and information, and then there was that smile on Tsuna's face. He knew it, he did. Vongola was _doomed_.

The hitman waited until everything had gone silent, until the bubbling of blood and cracking of bone had stopped and woman no longer screaming, then he looked. He wished he hadn't once more. It was overkill with life's precious ruby liquid splattered all over the walls and floor from where the blood had shot out from the torn flesh. The woman was dead - there was no doubt about it. The middle had been snapped into two and the organs were spilling out, some twisted as well like the body it came out of. His black eyes could note the two different intestines, the stomach, and the liver easily, so easily. He could even see the yellow fat blobs on top of certain organs and to the other side of the corpse once everything was out. Anything else he saw was covered in some red form he'd rather not question for his sanity.

He was still left with the question of how this had happened. How had Tsuna done all of this? No human can do this, at least, not without any special abilities like Mammon/Viper being a psychic. Still, even the mist Arcobaleno couldn't do something like this, he didn't have the skill. And if that ability turned against him… Reborn suppressed the shiver at the thought of ending up like the woman just a few feet away.

"Are you going to leave it here?" The sun Arcobaleno finally asked, trying to draw the attention away from the obvious, and kept his voice even. He was trying to remain strong, never showing any hesitation or weakness. He was a hitman after all, and the best, too.

"Here is fine. No one cares to look, no one bothers to investigate, anyone that lives here are already rotting. The body is only cleaned out when someone wants to live here. Other than that, it's never reported to the police. There are a lot of druggies, prostitutes, and illegal immigrants around here and if the police came knocking, they'll all be in trouble." Tsuna commented, turning around to head out back into the hallway, well aware that it was completely empty, many of the doors now closed compared to before. He sealed the door behind and started making his way further down, going deeper into the building.

Reborn immediately questioned why instead of heading home considering the assassin had been taken care of, but he didn't get an answer. So he remained quiet, watching from his front row seat in the arms, still keeping an eye out just in case. They were heading further in, towards a room somewhere in the back, the hitman guessed. The surrounding area looked neater as they advanced, more up-kept compared to the other places, and stopped in front of a wooden door that was all by itself.

The hitman looked up curiously. "Tsuna?"

"We're not done. That woman had a group with her. Better take care of them before they attack Mom because I killed off one of their members." The brunet chuckled darkly, grinning happily as if this was the most interesting thing to do. It was like he was considering everything he had done to be fun.

Reborn knew he would be sick by the end of the day.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: 10/18/15

Reborn didn't head straight back to the bedroom for sleep after he had been let go from Tsuna's grasp, no, he needed time to think about his current situation. Though there was some fear coursing through his veins, he wasn't thinking about it, but the future of Vongola and this current student. How the hell was he supposed to train a murderer to become Vongola Decimo? That was just dooming Vongola to another generation of bloodshed.

Was Tsuna worse than Xanxus? That he wasn't sure about, not yet anyway. He had been tempted to call Nono to report his findings almost immediately, to call off this entire deal, because it was impossible. Tsuna had killed and done things that were physically impossible, he had stopped the rain of bullets in midair and sent them flying back as if it was nothing, and yet…Reborn paused at that, blinking his large eyes.

And yet, Tsuna had done all of this just for Nana, for the household. It hadn't been for his protection, maybe slightly, or for fun (Reborn was a little iffy on that part), or for money, but for someone else, someone he obviously considered precious. That - _that_ he can work with. There was that potential he had been searching for, the thing he needed the most to mold a person into the perfect, kindhearted boss. It would be hard, but he would work with what he had on his plate and challenges just made things more interesting. There was also Tsuna's odd ability he needed to take into consideration. It was fascinating, something he had never seen before, and it sparked his curiosity to see how far the brunet could go with his powers. It was already clear to Reborn that Tsuna's powers could go beyond what he had already seen.

Sneaking back into the house, momentarily fixing his direction when a branch broke under his weight, Reborn peered over to the slumbering teen on the bed, who appeared quite peaceful despite what he had done earlier. The hitman jumped onto the bed, getting closer to look over the features, and examined everything that wasn't covered by the blankets.

Tsuna looked just like any teenager, sleeping softly as if dead to the rest of the world, and Reborn watched as the brunet nuzzled comfortably into his pillow. This expression before him was different compared to the dull, uninterested one or the maniacal one the brunet had donned when killing. It made him appear like a normal person. Turning around, the sun Arcobaleno went towards his hammock that was on the other side of the room for some rest, knowing that it would be better to chat in the morning than now. Still, he needed to figure some things out before he could drift off.

Tsuna didn't need much help in academics, he was a straight B average student, though Reborn had recognized that the only reason he had a B was simply because his student never finished the whole homework or test. The brunet always left the last few questions empty to be marked wrong, the rest completely correct. That was something Reborn was going to need to fix and fast.

As for teaching his student on how to fight, well, he could cross that out as well. The brunet could fight on his own well enough despite it being quite violent and definitely didn't need any training to be discrete. Tsuna would need to learn about the usage of his flames to bring out the sky attribute within him and about the mafia life, among other things. Those weren't hard, but then again, with his last student, he wasn't dodging and running around for his life like this one.

Reborn almost twitched at the thought of those powers being turned against him, no, he was certain they already have. Those strange incidents around him, from the bookcase to that tree branch just now, were most likely done by the teenager. He would need to heed the rumors that were floating around and figure out how to prevent anymore incidents before he ended up like those bodies back at the apartment complex.

After all, the powerful sensation of fear was starting to prickle in the back of his mind. He was, of course, well acquainted with fear. One did not work in the mafia without knowing or feeling it every now and then. It was an emotion that could help or break someone and for Reborn, it many times kept him focused on the task on hand or kept him alive. Only a foolish idiot would never have felt fear and the hitman knew better than anyone that fools did not survive long in the underground world.

With such heavy thoughts on his mind, he fell asleep, hoping that this mission won't become his very last.

* * *

Morning seemed like a normal routine for Tsuna, though he guessed he now had to include Reborn into it. The alarm clock that rang first, making the brunet stumble awake, barely aware of the extra presence in the room that was watching him curiously. His honey-colored eyes peered at the hitman lazily before turning back to the clock to grumble. Annoying, he thought to himself, and rolled around in bed with sleepy looking eyes. Raising a hand, he flicked it and immediately the device crumbled apart into pieces.

Reborn raised an eyebrow at that, looking over the alarm from his spot. It had just simply fallen apart like the screws that held it together had been pulled out. Interesting… It seemed like Tsuna could use something similar to a psychic power. That could explain the odd ability to manipulate and he only knew this from his run-ins with Viper's, no, Mammon's powers, but this went a little beyond that. This power could easily destroy, there was no doubt about that - the bodies from yesterday being a clear example of that.

The hitman then watched as the brunet went back to sleep before smiling to himself. Looks like he would be able to use his methods after all. He almost grinned evilly at the thought and jumped up from his hammock, ready to transform Leon into a hammer when the second alarm clock went off. Unable to help but raise an eyebrow at the timing, the baby watched as Tsuna grumbled again, rolling back around, and then paused to look at him.

"You were planning on hitting me, weren't you?" The brunet stated, eyeing the baby carefully, and reached over to turn off this alarm in a normal fashion.

"A mafia boss needs to be able to get up early." There was a flash of disappointment in those black eyes once more, there went his fun.

"I told you already last night, I'm not going to become a mafia boss," Tsuna noted dully, still lying in bed, having yet to get up completely. "And I'm not going to school today."

That last comment made Reborn's eyes narrow. "I don't allow skipping. A mafia boss must show up to everything and anyway, school is important, you need to learn."

"School isn't that important, not when the material is too easy."

"You have a B in class."

"So? I can pretty much guess you've looked over my test papers and homework to know how I work."

"Of course, and it's terrible how you do things, finish your work. Regardless, you can't say it's too easy when you have a B in class," Reborn huffed, stepping closer to the bed, tempted to actually use physical force to get the brunet moving. "Besides, I have a few questions for you."

Tsuna simply blinked, keeping himself still. "I'll answer some if you let me skip."

The hitman almost growled and pointed Leon in gun form at the teenager with the threat obvious to them both. "And I can simply use force. I need to know everything about my student. If you have anything that might get in my way or interrupt us, you better let me know." He peered at the clock for a moment, his curiosity over Tsuna's abilities slowly starting to override his senses, but held back. He had come here to teach, not learn, and one of the things he needed to know was if the brunet would endanger him or make things difficult.

"You can take that chance if you like, but the answers might not be what you want," The brunet kept still, lying in bed without a care, never changing his expression. "I can always lie, after all."

Reborn made a small 'tch', this student will definitely be more troublesome than Dino, and harder to work with. There was no fear in those eyes, no care, nothing. The dying will bullets were already considered useless against the brunet seeing as there was no regret for anything that could be used to activate them. Grinding his teeth together, he decided to do the next best thing and that was to compromise. He didn't like this option at all, but for now, it would be for the best until he learned more about Tsuna. "For the next week, finish all your work including the upcoming tests in class and answer all of my questions honestly. If you do that, I'll allow you to skip for today only."

"I'll answer some, there's no point in revealing everything at the beginning of this game." Tsuna nudged deeper into his covers, nuzzling closer to keep warm. He felt Reborn jumping up onto the bed, getting closer to him to glare. The brunet was somewhat tempted to reach out and grab the baby, it was always nice to hold onto something when he slept, but decided not to take the chance of retaliation.

"This isn't a game. This is the mafia."

"Your point being?"

Reborn growled. "You're going to be a pain to deal with."

"Then leave."

"This is my job, you're the last heir to Vongola, and I will see through my job whether you like it or not," The hitman wandered around so that he could get a better look at the face, wanting nothing more than to smash it in. Instead, he smacked the top of it, but didn't get the response he had been wanting. Those honey-colored eyes merely opened up momentarily, looking at him, before going back to sleep without care. Reborn continued, "Look, we don't like each other. That's fine with me. My job is not to get along with you, but to teach you and you will learn whether you like it or not."

"And to try and make my world crazier than it already is," A mumble came from underneath the covers. "Besides, I should have the right to deny the title. There's no point in forcing someone to take a job they don't want. It would simply create more trouble than before. After all, you could make me hate the title enough that when I take over, I could destroy Vongola from the inside out."

Reborn almost sighed at that, this student was far too smart. Well, considering how he read those books like he was breathing air, it should be expected. "You can take that up to Nono when he comes to talk to you about it. Until then, I'm here to teach you."

Tsuna opened his eyes fleetingly to look into those black ones before nodding his head. "Fine, I shall try to listen to what you have to say, but I won't stop my attempts on your life. By the way, you might want to dodge that book soon."

The moment the brunet stated that, Reborn instantly dodged to the right, feeling the wind of the book slipping pass his face, just inches way from meeting it. He growled in frustration, his eyes going towards the direction it had come from only to see nothing but a wall. Where had the book come from? He wasn't sure and landed onto the ground perfectly, glaring at the teenager.

Yes, Reborn decided as he watched Tsuna heading back asleep, this was going to be a _very_ troublesome student.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: 10/18/15

When Tsuna had finally thought it was a good time to get up, which was around noon, he decided to head out for lunch with Reborn for their little chat. It was much easier to have that elsewhere than home where Mom could easily overhear and the hitman went along with it, still avoiding items that seemed to move on their own. An hour or two before he left, Tsuna had told Nana to hang out with some of her friends and maybe head to the spa for the day to get some well-deserved relaxation. She was instantly happy at the thought of being with other females of her age group and immediately went along with the idea, never once caring that her son was at home instead of at school.

To Reborn, it looked more of a routine.

"Now, Tsuna, make sure you study for school. I don't want you to fall behind." Nana lectured as she locked the door behind her, Tsuna and Reborn up ahead at the entrance.

"Of course not. I'll pass all my classes with a B. No doubt about it."

Reborn interrupted that, settled on Tsuna's shoulder to get a better view of the mother and son interactions. That and he had noticed a decrease in the amount of attacks against him when he was right beside the brunet. "No, you will get an A in all your classes. If you don't, I'll shoot you."

"My, you two are getting along so well. Mama is soooo happy to see that. I'm so glad to have gotten you this tutor, I hope you two get along much better in the future," Nana was smiling brilliantly, chuckling at the way the two "children" were fighting, and clearly ignored the way they were staring back as if she was crazy. She reached into her wallet to pull out some bills, handing it over to the brunet. "Here, Tsuna, this should be enough for you and Reborn."

The brunet took hold of the money and stared, looking over the bills carefully then back up. "Mom, this is too much. You should take some back."

"Eh? Oh, it's okay. Spoil yourself silly." The woman just laughed wholeheartedly, unaware that Tsuna had sighed at her response.

He looked over the money again, quickly doing a calculation in his mind before nodding to himself. "I'll pick up dinner with this, that way you don't have to cook tonight. Any requests?"

Nana hummed to herself before clapping her hands. "How about sushi from Takesushi? Their stuff is always so good."

"Sure. Well, see you tonight, Mom."

"Goodbye, Maman." Reborn tilted his fedora, still resting comfortably on the brunet's shoulder, holding on just right as they began to separate. Nana went towards the left while Tsuna and Reborn went to the right where the shopping district was at. It was mostly silence between the two, though they did gain a few glances here and there from the adults, mainly because they were questioning why a middle school student wasn't in school. Others ignored it, seeing this as a regular occurrence, and went back to their own businesses.

As they stepped into the shopping district, Tsuna immediately went towards a café in the back, somewhat hidden away from public, yet had a warm feeling surrounding it. Reborn looked over the area carefully and nodded to himself. From the scent radiating and the look of the machines within, this was a good place in terms of coffee quality. Tsuna stepped inside without any hesitation, most likely familiar with the place, and looked around for a moment before taking a seat close to a window. Still, it was far away from anyone else, away from wandering ears and eyes. Reborn hadn't noticed before, but there was another book in Tsuna's hand, different from the last one, and by the placement of bookmark inside, it had only just been started.

Immediately, a waitress stepped over and took one look at the brunet before sighing. "Sawada, shouldn't you be in school? It's not right to skip," She then looked at the baby on the other side of the table and blinked, moving closer. The waitress momentarily cooed over the cuteness, holding the menus closer to her body, and looked quite tempted to try and hug the so-called baby. "Awww, and who is this? Your brother? He's so cute!"

"I'm allowed to skip when I'm passing all my classes and no, he's not my brother. He's apparently my tutor." Tsuna replied without skipping a beat, opening his book up to where he had last bookmarked it.

The waitress tilted her head in confusion before beaming. "Tutor? Aw, are you roleplaying with him? That's so sweet. Well, do you want your usual?"

"Yeah, the usual. He has his own order to make."

"Alright then, and you?" She turned to Reborn next, holding up the pen, ready to write down whatever was spoken.

"A cup of coffee."

The waitress blinked her eyes and smiled gently. "Ah, little one, don't you think you're too young to have coffee? Perhaps some milk instead? I'll even warm it up for you."

"I'm not that young," Reborn didn't blink an eye, used to people not believing his age. It got annoying at times though, but he couldn't lash out, normal people had every reason to act this way around him. "I would like a cup of coffee."

Tsuna decided to intervene before the waitress did something stupid, peeking up from his book. "Just give him coffee and anything else he wants. It's best not to question him, just do it."

"A-Ah, sure." With that, the waitress ran off, getting the order sent out.

Tsuna went back to reading, flipping a page to get to the next one, his mind concentrating on the words carefully as he read the story within. It was quiet for a few moments, listening and watching the people who entered and left the café. Some conversations were easy to pick up on while others were more hushed, whispering among each other like they were sharing a secret. Finally, he spoke up, "So, what do you want to know?"

Reborn was studying his student carefully, looking over the upright form to the dull expression he held. "Are you Sawada Tsunayoshi?"

"Of course."

"Your abilities, those aren't normal abilities I've seen before. Explain."

With that, the brunet peered up, closing his book, and placed it onto the table with care. "I guess I can be kind enough to say something on that. I won't say everything, but I'll share some of my secrets. I can use magic, in a sense, from spells of inducing bad luck to curses and anything else along those lines," Reborn blinked, rubbing his hand under his chin. He was thinking upon those words. If what Tsuna said was true then… Tsuna smirked, continuing, "You're probably already figuring it out. Yes, I placed a bad luck spell on you, which would explain the unusual events that keep occurring, but yours is really light. If I wanted to kill you, you would have already died long ago. After all, you can't always escape a car going out of control towards you while crossing the crosswalk or unluckily falling off that cliff because the ground underneath you crumbled or that railing on a building collapsing under your weight. Some things are just…pure bad luck."

Reborn suppressed the shiver that ran down his spine, those events were things that would be considered normal and unpreventable. He may be a powerful hitman, but he couldn't escape from something like that. After all, luck was a strong indicator in the mafia world. If one was unlucky, death was what awaited them in the end. Skills could only go so far in certain situations. "Then the rumor about you placing curses on your fellow classmates is true," He got a nod in return and the hitman almost sneered. This was really going to be a _dangerous_ and troublesome student, his defenses would need to be up at all times to be ready for literally anything. He was already treading on eggshells and it wouldn't take much for Tsuna to up the level of his spells. "What about the alarm clock this morning? You smashed it without touching it."

"Also magic, but it's more along manipulation and before you ask, yes, it applies to human bodies as well. I can also do those types of magic you see in the movies, too like summoning fire into my hands or conjuring up entities. They aren't hard to produce. Anymore questions?"

Reborn hummed to himself softly, going over the information within his head. The incidents from yesterday, the twisting of the female assassin, and other things, were starting to make more sense on how they occurred. "How long have you known?" He got a raised eyebrow at that, one that showed confusion. "About Iemitsu? About Vongola?"

"From when I was six, I was kidnapped on the way home right after school. Luckily, I already knew about my abilities and escaped, but I managed to hear them talking around me in the car. I connected the dots pretty quickly that Iemitsu is connected to Vongola as the boss of the CEDEF after some research," Tsuna peered out the window to watch the world go by before turning back, throwing the lies around with ease. He had known about Vongola and Iemitsu long before he had taken possession of this body. "Soon after, more people came, wanting to kill off Iemitsu's spawn before he grew up. Apparently, that idiot of a man can't even keep his mouth shut about his family and keeps endangering us repeatedly. Anyway, as I grew older, I got into torture in order to get the information I wanted since it was obvious I wouldn't be able to get everything just through the computers." Tsuna spoke without skipping a beat, speaking in that monotone he was used to. "After I got what I needed, I killed anyone who dared tried to harm Mom without any hesitation."

The brunet cut himself off as the waitress came back with their orders, placing down a cup of hot tea and a small sandwich on his side and the requested cup of coffee for Reborn. She soon excused herself and went to wait on some other tables that had been occupied since not too long ago. Slowly, Reborn took a sip of the coffee and instantly decided that it was decent, not the best, but not bad either. That was acceptable for now. However, during the conversation he noticed something odd, Tsuna had never once called Iemitsu 'Dad' and instead, stated him like he was a stranger. "You don't like your father, do you?"

"No. How can I call someone my father when he's never here? Regardless of his work overseas, it's obvious he doesn't care enough to call or visit. After all, that idiot could easily come back here during the holidays or odd days considering his job, but no, he doesn't do any of that," Tsuna lifted up his sandwich, taking a small bite as if testing it, before going for a bigger one. "You know you can order something to eat."

"Later, continue."

The brunet raised an eyebrow at that, shrugged his shoulders. "Plus, Iemitsu and I never got along, his last visit proved that. He wasn't very pleased when I was around the house since I made no hesitation in voicing my disgust of him when Mom couldn't hear me. During that one week he was at home, all he did was laze around in his underwear, eat and drink all day long. That does not leave a very good impression on one's son. And those postcards are ridiculous, his last one being about doing construction in the North Pole. He should be doing better things than blabbing to enemies where his family is located," Reborn couldn't help but curse the living daylights out of Iemitsu. He had always known the blonde was an idiot, but this was a little much. Tsuna snorted, taking another bite of his sandwich to calm his growing temper, and spoke only after he swallowed properly. "Anyway, I doubt he was all that happy that I was chosen to become Vongola Decimo in the first place."

Now this made Reborn raise an eyebrow at that, he hadn't thought the hatred between father and son would be this great. "What do you mean?"

"If I were to become Vongola Decimo, I would be his superior. That means my hatred towards him would transfer over. He wouldn't want to listen to me and the same could be said for me as well." Tsuna took a long sip of his hot tea, enjoying the warmth it sent through his body, feeling it slide down his throat nicely.

Reborn didn't reply, taking in the information carefully as he placed the edge of the cup against his lips. Looks like there was more to investigate on his student's family matters than he had originally thought. Still, despite all the setbacks and the obvious danger to his life, he was interested. How would his relationship with Tsuna become over the course of their training and living together? And how much would he find out about the other? There were more things that were kept secret from him and he had a feeling that it was something big. However, at this current point of time, he couldn't place his finger on it. He really couldn't.

Well, for now, he should order something to eat. He was starting to get hungry and Tsuna did say he would pay after all.

* * *

For the rest of the day, Tsuna and Reborn spent the entire time wandering around the city like a normal pair, looking at various things, and the brunet even picked up a few requests from the baby, like the coffee beans. Though they weren't happy with each other, they both knew better than to make a scene out in public. Even with all the shopping, Tsuna made sure to keep enough money on hand for dinner and as they stepped into Takesushi, their eyes trailed to the front where a taller man was standing, professionally making sushi rapidly for the customers who were settled around the tables.

Tsuna immediately stepped forward, heading to the counter, and tapped the glass where the ingredients were to get the man's attention. The person looked up curiously and blinked when he settled on his new customers. He saw Tsuna right away and gave a brilliant grin, placing his knife down for a moment to cut through the fish before him.

"Hey there, Tsuna! Long time no see! Here for some sushi?" The older man started pressing the ingredients into the rice and dried seaweed carefully before rolling it up all together as one.

"Hello, Yamamoto. And yes, I am. Can I get the usual for my mom and me? And whatever Reborn here wants to eat." The brunet motioned to the Arcobaleno next to him and noticed right away when the older man suddenly peered up, looking a little pale. The sushi master wasn't able to hide his surprised expression when he looked directly at Reborn, the shift in emotion was too obvious, and the knife came down over the next batch of ingredients a little harder than necessary. Both noticed it right away, Tsuna letting out a sigh and shrugged his shoulders the moment the baby jumped down onto the counter.

"Sure, no problem, Tsuna. And stop calling me Yamamoto, it's Tsuyoshi. You make me sound so old. I've known you since you were eight. Anyway, how's your mother doing these days?" Tsuyoshi obviously was nervous and tried to keep calm, but having the number one hitman in the world right before him in his very presence was unnerving. Regardless, he prepared the order as asked.

"Fine, she went out with some friends earlier today with a push from me. She'll probably head to the spa afterwards by herself or with her friends," Tsuna spoke, peering between the two carefully. "Well, apparently I now have a new guest staying with me so there's now one more mouth to feed."

"Well then, how do you do? Reborn, yes?"

"Fine, just here for a job. I'm tutoring Tsuna here." Though Reborn didn't show it, he knew an assassin's presence when he felt it and he recognized those features easily from a profile on Vongola's database. He narrowed his eyes momentarily, trying to consider if this person would be a threat, and when he found nothing, turned to the side.

This movement also let the other know he wasn't here for him. Though, the hitman couldn't help but notice the much lighter tone of Tsuna's voice when speaking to the older man. He didn't like it. At his gesture, there was a slight relaxing on Tsuyoshi's shoulders and the sushi master continued to work, fixing Reborn's order once he received it.

"Eh? Look, it's Cursed-Tsuna…" A whisper broke out among a table at the far left of the building and Reborn perked up slightly at that, peering over curiously. It was a bunch of Namamori students sitting together as a group, the uniforms easily identifying them, and was leaning over the table to talk low-key, but everyone heard regardless. Tsuna didn't bother turning around, simply waiting for his orders to be finished so he could leave.

"What's he doing here?"

"You don't think he's mad at us or something?"

"Shut up, just stay away from the freak."

"Yeah, we should hurry up and leave soon before he puts a curse on us."

Reborn snorted and turned to the brunet, who obviously didn't have a flicker of care in his eyes. "Aren't you going to do something? They're saying terrible things about you."

"Can't. Not without breaking one of Yamamoto's tables. I doubt he would be happy if I did that," Tsuna muttered under his breath, low enough so that only the two of them could hear, and took out the money to pay for the food that was wrapped up nicely and professionally as always. "Thank you…Tsuyoshi."

At hearing his name, the older man beamed brightly as if proud about something. "No problem, come back soon, you hear? By the way, you shouldn't let those rumors get to you, kid. You're not that bad of a person, you should go and correct those terrible wrongs." Tsuyoshi smiled widely, starting on the next batch of sushi as the order came in. He was cutting and chopping away at the required fish, making precise movements with the blade to get everything just right. It looked like a lot of effort, but it was because of that that the food tasted so great.

Tsuna shrugged his shoulders, obvious to show that he truly didn't care. "It's fine. Let them say what they want. I have more important things to do than to mind what people say about me."

"If you say so. Well, see you later, Tsuna, Reborn. Let your mom know I said hi. Hopefully, one day you'll be here when my son is, he's at baseball practice like usual. I'd like you two to meet each other. I think it'll be good for the both of you."

The brunet nodded his head slowly and made his way out, carrying the food in one hand while the other held his book and groceries. He felt Reborn hopping back onto his shoulder, grabbing hold of some of his hair. Tsuna momentarily stopped at the group of school teenagers, staring them down, watching in amusement as they shivered and flinch at his stare. Smirking, he left Takesushi, knowing that he'd better head back before the sushi got spoiled.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: 10/18/15
> 
> Beta'ed by WhiteAngel128

Reborn knew he needed to bond with his student, and fast. He hadn't really wanted to, just like how he had originally taught with Dino before, get close but not enough to not get attached. He just needed to teach Tsuna what was required to know with a few extras thrown in to keep the Vonogla heir alive and then leave, but at this rate, they would be getting into arguments over certain matters, never quite getting to the teaching part. Or perhaps everything? Regardless, that was something he'd like to avoid greatly and right now, bonding would bring them slightly closer. Well, to an extent, it was as far as Tsuna was actually willing to allow. Still, with that bond, the brunet would more likely listen to him, stop trying to kill him, and would give him the chance to learn more about those hidden secrets. Because at the rate this was going, they would be tearing each other apart for every little thing that comes up.

"You like books?" The hitman asked out of nowhere, peering up towards his student curiously, after looking over the numerous stacks on the shelves. He recognized some, but most he didn't, many being uncommon or simply because it was in another language. Reborn had been surprised to see some Chinese, English, Korean, and many others besides Japanese mixed in, wondering just how good Tsuna's foreign language skills were.

The brunet nodded his head, still engulfed in his current novel, and flipped the page to begin reading once more, his gaze never once wavering. Reborn huffed, he didn't like being ignored and he narrowed his eyes slightly, tempted to attack the brunet. However, he knew better, at least for now, due to all the occurrences that had happened. The rumors he had ignored and shook off at the beginning had come true and he was facing against them without anything to use to retaliate. There had been too many close calls and one had almost broken a limb if he hadn't been careful and caught what was going on with his sharp instincts. It was time to use a different approach…which led him to try bonding. Such a difficult thing…

"Why?"

The brunet lifted his head up at that curiously. "Why?"

Reborn grumbled and continued. "Yes, why do you like books so much?"

Tsuna didn't answer at first, thinking deeply on that question, and then wiggled his nose in frustration before shrugging his shoulders. He didn't really have an answer to that, it was hard to say. He had taken a liking to reading long ago simply because it gave him something to do. Everything else had long gotten boring long before that. "Don't really know, I guess it's the story, the idea or that it neither talks back nor say terrible things. There are a lot of things one could learn from books and you simply need read it to understand their meanings."

It wasn't a bad answer, Reborn thought to himself, and stepped towards the large case. "Recommend me one."

That definitely got a response and the baby watched as the brunet got up from his spot, finally putting down his book to crawl over. He sat in front of the case, looking over everything before turning to his tutor cautiously with still dull eyes. "What have you already read?"

Reborn hummed to himself before jumping up onto the shelves and pulled out the ones he had already read before, placing them on the ground with ease. When he managed to get through all of them, he laid his hand on top of the stack, patting it. "All of these."

Tsuna looked over the titles and then back up at the rest of the books, going over each one carefully. After deciding and examining through everything, he pulled out a single book, a cover that made Reborn raise his eyebrow at. It was not something the hitman would normally go for, no, it was something he avoided completely. The cover was that of a dark alleyway with what seemed to be a couple walking down it, identifying that it was a romance novel or something close to it. He had been recommended a romance novel of all things….

"Read it, you'll like it. Might not look like something you'll normally read, but it's good." Tsuna muttered with a slight hint of amusement in his tone of voice that raised the other's second eyebrow to meet the first. Reborn had managed to get something besides a dull tone - that was an improvement. Still, the baby almost wanted to grumble at the book and looked at the summary of it on the back. Even with that, he still was not thrilled, but resigned to the fate he had chosen. Flipping to the first page, he knew it was going to be a long night and settled onto his hammock to get a better light, starting on the book as his eyes began to read the first words of the introduction page.

The brunet blinked in question before breaking out into a small, unnoticed smile and shifted over to his previous spot, going back into the world of the book before him. How funny, to think that Reborn would go that far to get along with him and to figure out what he was thinking. Mentally, Tsuna smirked evilly, the other would need to do more than that to get on his good side, but well, it was a start. He could deal with that.

Turning the page again as he finished that part, his eyes momentarily peered up to double check if the hitman was actually reading and wasn't sleeping with his eyes open. The only thing that confirmed it was the turning of the page. Tsuna's eyes trailed back down, focusing on his own book, and tucked a stray strand of hair that had fallen into his vision behind his ear.

* * *

Reborn was cursing, slamming the book closed after managing to finish it from front to back during the night. He had read through the entire thing and god damn he had liked it. There was no doubt about it, absolutely no doubt. He grumbled in defeat, he couldn't say anything about it. The book had just sucked him right in and wouldn't let him out of its grasp until he'd finished it. Peering down at the now sleeping teen in bed, he sighed and stared up at the ceiling in question before deciding it was too late in the night to actually think. He needed some rest, a lot of sleep to clear his mind.

Closing his eyes, he quickly started to drift off, allowing himself this one time to actually fall into a deep sleep.

However, he'd only gotten a few hours of rest when he heard some muttering of words coming from somewhere in the room. Reborn twitched at that, wanting nothing more than to ignore it, but his assassin senses perked up by habit. Before he knew it, he was up and examining the room thoroughly, checking for any hidden enemies before finally settling on Tsuna. He peered up at the bundle of blankets and blinked.

Was Tsuna having a nightmare? Or was he simply dreaming? Curiosity getting the better of him, Reborn hopped down onto the floor, dressed in his usual black suit, and got close enough to hear clearly. He was beside Tsuna on the bed, close to his head, and listened intently to the mumbling of words.

"Big brother…" Tsuna whispered, burying his face into the pillow deeply, almost squeezing it. His eyebrows were narrowed, dreaming of something Reborn wasn't sure but those murmured words had the baby donning a questioning look.

'Big brother?' Reborn thought to himself, watching the brunet's expression closely. Reaching over, his small hands ran through the soft brown hair and the effect was instantaneous. The appearance relaxed, the strain disappearing, and Tsuna curled up in the covers, making a small muttering sound under his breath. 'Did Tsuna have an older brother figure?'

The hitman sighed, continuing to pet the brunet, the soft silky hair leaving a wonderful sensation in-between his tiny fingers. It was nice, the hair, and oh so fluffy. Leon appeared around him and seemed to slip into the strands to nestle within, closing its eyes as it tried to use a few locks for a pillow. 'Or is there more to Tsuna than I originally thought? I wouldn't be surprised. With powers like that, he's able to do a lot of things that wouldn't be considered normal. What an interesting student I have.'

"Ugh…" A grumble came from the brunet, eyes fluttering open slightly, and unconsciously nudged closer to the fingers that were rubbing against him. Two tired eyes groggily turned to Reborn, blinking a few times as if trying to figure out if the other was an enemy. When he decided that everything was okay, Tsuna scooted back slightly to give more room. He then closed his eyes again as if wanting to go back to sleep, but Reborn knew better. The breathing was still uneven and quicker than one would be when asleep, but he shifted closer regardless. It was safer to be closer to Tsuna than away due to the curse.

"You were dreaming…" Reborn spoke, breaking the silence in the room, with the faded light of the moon slipping through the cracks of the curtain. Other than that, the room was dark, vacant of anything else, and so very empty.

"It's an old dream. Did I say anything stupid?" The brunet muttered, yanking the covers closer to his body, but never pulled away from that tiny hand on him.

"You mentioned 'big brother', did you have someone you used to look up to?"

Tsuna paused at that and shook his head from where he was at. It was awkward, but it still worked. "No, I never had anyone to look up to except…" Tsuna froze at that and tightened his lips together hesitatingly. "No, the person I mentioned as big brother, it doesn't matter now anyway, he's been dead for a long time." Reborn raised an eyebrow at the passing words, wanting to go further into it, but when he saw a flash of emotion in those cold honey-colored orbs, he stopped. "I killed him a long time ago."

The hitman's eyes widened at that blunt response but remained calm. "Tsuna…you're hiding a lot of things from me aren't you?"

"Of course…"

"I'm going to learn about your secrets sooner or later, you know?" Reborn leaned back against the brunet, getting comfortable, and tilted down his fedora. He might as well sleep here. They still had three hours left before the alarm rang to tell them both it was time for school.

"You can try, I won't stop you, but you might not like the end results."

"That's fine with me."

Tsuna almost wanted to smirk at that and settled into the blankets happily, momentarily feeling the hand back on him until he drifted off. The sun Arcobaleno watched as the brunet floated away and finally retracted his hand, nudging closer to the warmth behind before closing his eyes.

In the morning, Reborn could only blink in surprise when he found himself cuddled up against Tsuna with arms wrapped tightly around him as if he was some sort of teddy bear.

'What the…'


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by WhiteAngel128
> 
> Edited: 10/18/15

"Hey, Tsuna."

The brunet blinked, and then blinked again, lifting up his head slowly to peer up at the person who dared to talk to him. Tilting his head, he couldn't help but raise up an eyebrow in surprise. Someone was talking to him… Well, that was an astonishment considering everyone at school avoided him like a disease. He held his book in his hands, not sure on whether or not to close it, and eventually decided to keep it open. The person probably didn't want anything much anyway.

Still, his curiosity was sparked and glanced over his classmate, recognizing him as Yamamoto Takeshi, the baseball star, as well as Tsuyoshi's son. The similarities in looks to the sushi master were too obvious to his eyes and the way they smiled was easy to spot. However, that smile on the teen was currently strained. Perhaps it was because he was talking to him? Regardless, the brunet gave a nod, letting the other know he was listening.

"Well, how to say this…" Yamamoto drifted off, laughing gently to himself, and rubbed the back of his head nervously. He shifted when he felt some stares towards his direction and shrunk down slightly, almost as if trying to appear smaller. His classmates and fellow baseball team members had their eyes wide open and were gaping in fear. Some were even whispering for him to get away and others were saying things that he would consider rude. Regardless, Tsuna simply stared without a care, patiently waiting for his response regardless of those surrounding them. Eventually, the baseball player spoke, "I was wondering…if you could help me out for a bit."

The brunet stared for a few moments before finally replying. "Help?"

"Yeah, help. It's really dumb, but I thought you might know what to do."

Tsuna hummed to himself. Well, that was a first. He had never been asked to help anyone before in class and as he stared at his black-haired classmate, who was shifting side to side from the stares, he nodded. He might as well go along with it and see what happens. There was no harm in it and anyway, he could see the desperation in those eyes. "If it's within my power."

Those words immediately brightened up Yamamoto's grin and he reached over to grab one of Tsuna's hands, throwing caution into the wind as he rapidly shook it. "Thanks so much! Meet me at the baseball field after school! Thanks again!" Once he dropped the hand, he gave a small wave at the brunet before running out the door, unaware of the confused expression Tsuna was wearing.

The brunet stared down at his hand curiously, flexing the fingers, and momentarily listened to his classmates whispering among themselves once more. They spoke that Yamamoto had signed a death warrant or that he would live the rest of his life in misery and some other things before he turned away to ignore it. It was the same as always. Bringing his attention back to his book, he reread the page he had been left on and flipped it. He couldn't help but be somewhat curious at what Yamamoto was going to ask of him. After all, this was the first time this had ever happened.

* * *

"Where are you going?" Reborn questioned as he watched Tsuna step down the stairs, heading towards a different direction than home. He had seen the interaction between the two classmates and immediately hopped over onto Tsuna's shoulder, bending to see his student's expression. However, there was nothing, it had that blank look as always.

"You should already know, I felt you watching." Tsuna simply replied, heading further to the other side of the school, and opened the door to the outside world. He winced as the sun hit him, his eyes trying to adjust to the brightness, and could feel the warmth of the air breezing past him before continuing onwards towards the baseball field. There were a few people still practicing, throwing pitches to each other and one or two were swinging the bats. Some stopped to stare at him in question, no one voicing it out, and others tried to ignore him. After all, people had long figured out that if they left Tsuna alone, he would, too.

Still, the brunet kept going until he reached a small group at the side of the field, recognizing the person he was looking for in the middle, cheering everyone on. He could see the group dissipating at his presence and others were grabbing their fellow team members to alert them of the newcomer. Yamamoto, however, didn't seem to notice the distress that spread among the group quickly nor notice that Tsuna had stopped just behind him, looking up at the back of his neck.

"Yamamoto." His soft voice seemed to make the other jump, watching as the other twisted around quickly, and when Yamamoto saw him, the baseball player simply grinned brightly.

"Yo, Tsuna, glad you could come! Thanks again!" The black-haired teen looked at his team members and waved them off. "Hey, guys, I'm going to talk to Tsuna alone for a bit."

"Are you sure, Yamamoto?"

"Yeah, Cursed-Tsuna could bring you bad luck, man."

"It would be a shame if something were to happen to you before the game."

The voices didn't deter him, no, he just laughed it off like normal. "It's alright. Come on, Tsuna. There's a spot over there we can sit at."

Without saying a word, the brunet followed behind while Reborn was still settled on his shoulder, listening to everything keenly. They passed through the fields that seemed to stretch greatly until they came across a bench a little ways from everyone for privacy. It was small and shaded by a couple of surrounding trees and Tsuna could hear the leaves rustling from the wind. Their footsteps shuffled through the grass below, a crunching sound clear to his ears.

They settled on the opposite sides of the bench and remained quiet, Tsuna simply waiting for the other to speak first. Yamamoto was evidently nervous, both Tsuna and Reborn could tell, by the way his hands and legs were shaking. He was so uneasy he hadn't yet mentioned nor realized the hitman's presence, who was so obviously perched on Tsuna's shoulder.

Finally, after a minute, the teen finally spoke, "Hey, Tsuna, I…don't really know how to put this so I guess the best thing would be to just say it. Well, I guess I've been in some kind of slump, I just haven't been doing so well in practice and have been doing poorly on the field," Yamamoto sighed, shoulders dropping down depressingly. "And I was wondering if you knew anything that could help. I-I mean, I'm just guessing since you're able to do so many things already, at least that's what the rumors say. Though, they're more negative..."

Tsuna hummed to himself again, looking over the crowd, then around the field curiously. He was thinking and closed his eyes for a moment. "Do you mean…like a charm of sorts?"

"A charm?" The other teen lifted his head up from the ground, peering at Tsuna curiously, even Reborn was staring. The hitman hopped off and landed on the bench on the opposite side of the brunet, wondering how his student was going to handle the situation. And what he had meant by that? Charms? That was an odd thing to say. Then again, magic itself was vague. He shouldn't be surprised that charms could fit into that section.

"Charms can do many things like bring good luck to protect oneself from disaster or earn lots of money. They can also do the contrary, from bringing misery to someone to eventually killing the person. Almost all are fakes and never work correctly as you must infuse traces of magic into it, some can even do the opposite effect without meaning to if not careful." Tsuna stood up from his spot, wandering around the field as if searching for something. The two behind him stared in question, watching every move he made carefully. Neither of them understood why the brunet would be wandering around like that, kicking at the dirt here and there and even circled a tree or two.

Then Tsuna saw it, an item that would work perfectly with the intention he had in mind. It must have been dropped by someone at school, and he reached down to pick it up. He fingered the item carefully in his hand, double checking it to ensure that it would be right for this setting, before walking back. As he did, he began to tear the item apart, pulling apart the numerous attachments that were connected to it.

Reborn raised an eyebrow when he caught sight of it, it was a bracelet - a girl's bracelet to be more precise - that once had those individual attachments like beads, hearts, ornaments, and many others dangling off of it. Now it only held one thing, a symbol of a baseball. He raised the other eyebrow to follow the first. What were the chances of a baseball figurine being on a random bracelet? Quite low.

Still, he remained quiet, wondering what his student would do with it. Yamamoto had the same confused expression and as Tsuna sat down, the brunet reached into his pocket to pull out a permanent marker from out of nowhere, scribbling and making lines on the silver bracelet. When it was done, Tsuna handed it over, letting it dangle from his fingers with the sunlight that peeked through the leaves reflecting off of it just right to give it a magical feeling.

"Here, try this."

Slowly, the baseball player took it, fingering the item in his hands and then looked back up. He appeared a little hesitant since it was a girl's bracelet after all and he wasn't entirely sure on what he was supposed to do. "Do I…wear this?"

Tsuna kept that dull look in his eyes. "You can or you can connect it to your shirt or pants or even place it into your pockets. It doesn't matter where, as long as it's on you. Try it, it should help you out."

Yamamoto broke into a large smile and without any hesitation, wrapped it around his pants, connecting it to one of the loops at the top that was meant for a belt to go through. He reached over and grabbed both of Tsuna's hands, shaking them gratefully. "I'll try it out right away. Thanks so much! I have a game in two days so I was really worried I would be holding my team back. Maybe with this, I can actually lend a hand."

"Sure." Tsuna watched as the baseball player run off to join the rest of the team, well aware that there was some hesitation between Yamamoto and his squad since they saw the meeting. Turning away, he pushed it into the back of his mind and got up from his spot, feeling Reborn jumping back onto his shoulder, to start making his way around the school to head home.

"So you can do charms," Reborn stated, peering down at the teenager with an eyebrow raised, and flicked his fedora upward to get a better look. "Will it work?"

"Depends on one's point of view," Tsuna simply replied and exited the place, able to hear the sudden cheers from the baseball field behind him echo to his area. It seemed the charm had worked for the meantime. "It doesn't actually improve one's ability, but the confidence of the player. Yamamoto already has the skills, he's simply demeaning himself and unconsciously lowering his esteem. The markings on it were to simply trick him into believing I had actually charmed the bracelet, however, I did make sure that it wouldn't negatively impact him either. There was really no need to actually make a real charm for him, honestly."

"So you're only psyching him up," Reborn huffed, he had actually been hoping to see something interesting, but Tsuna had done something right regardless. It was just a simple measure-of-mind trick and it would work. No, it had already worked from the yelling behind. "But why did you help him so willingly, Tsuna? That is unlike you."

"Who knows. Perhaps I…felt like it."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by WhiteAngel128!
> 
> Edited: 10/18/15

Tsuna blinked slightly in surprise, listening to some whispers floating around him as he entered the school grounds the very next day, and couldn't help but perk up an eyebrow at them. He had expected them after interacting with Yamamoto and the usual whenever he was around, but this was a little excessive. Even Reborn seemed a little surprised by the sudden rise in voices, the noise getting higher as more attention was brought to them. As they passed by some students in the hallways, they picked up a few things among the whispers.

"Did you hear? Poor guy."

"I can't believe he was stupid enough to talk to Cursed-Tsuna of all people."

"How is he going to play now? The game is tomorrow."

"Cursed-Tsuna really is cursed."

The brunet narrowed his eyes at that and immediately glared at anyone who spoke, silencing all those around him. Without meaning to, he quickened his pace and stepped into the classroom, feeling the tension in the air skyrocketing instantaneously in his presence. He snapped his eyes towards the group that seemed to be surrounding someone in the center and then narrowed them slightly. Raising an eyebrow lightly at the scene, Reborn still settled on his shoulder, Tsuna stepped closer to listen and see. He may not pay attention in class, but he was well aware that the seat in the center of the group belonged to Yamamoto only.

The fellow students who were brave enough - mostly the baseball team - glared at him as he approached, but stepped away regardless, never once touching him. After all, they too didn't want to face a curse, the rumors already well distinguished. The brunet stopped in front of the baseball player, looking over the teen carefully from head to toe, and narrowed his eyes at the sight before him.

Bandages decorated Yamamoto's body, mostly around the shoulders and neck and a single one was wrapped around the right eye. Many of them were hidden under the clothes, others were out in plain view for all, and there were multiple black and blue bruises everywhere. It was like he had been decorated with paint. A couple of gashes here and there, some bleeding and others just covered in dried blood, seeping through the white bandages. A cast, alerting him of a broken or cracked bone, was wrapped tightly on the right arm with a sling around it to keep it up.

"What happened?" His voice cut through the entire classroom, silencing everyone in the room with a boom. Reborn was curious as well, after all, the charm was supposed to work, but then again, it was only for confidence. It wasn't supposed to affect the well-being or luck. Regardless, to Reborn and Tsuna, it was clear that something that was far beyond their hands happened.

"Yo, Tsuna!" Yamamoto just laughed like normal despite looking strained from his new attachments and the medication he was on. He was slightly wobbly, but held himself up, gripping tightly onto the desk. "I accidentally fell down the stairs at home yesterday and broke my arm."

'Lies…' Tsuna thought to himself and leaned forward to double-check everything, his mind was already going over the scenarios that could have caused this. Regardless of his thoughts, there was no way falling down could cause such an injury. "You're lying. What really happened?"

The baseball player winced for a moment before shaking his head, trying to look genuinely okay. "I told you, I fell."

"Those are not wounds one would get from a fall," Reborn decided to cut in. He knew the difference between cuts, bruises, and anything else, and he could identify how one got them, when and what devices were probably used. One does not get an eye patch from a fall, nor does one get bruises on the front and back either. It was not consistent with the description. "You got into a fight with someone, no, a group of people."

Yamamoto went quiet at that, as did the classroom. Tsuna huffed and continued on where the hitman had left off. "You said you have a game soon, by any chance was it from the opposing team that did this to you?" No answer came from the teen, leaving it obvious to everyone else. "Since you didn't answer, I'll take that as a yes. More than likely, you accidentally bumped into them when you were out delivering sushi for your father. They recognized who you were and wanted to take care of you so that tomorrow's game would be a simple victory."

"Your opposing school's baseball team is known for not playing fair." Reborn cut in to continue for Tsuna. He was impressed that the brunet had figured so much out so quickly, but then again, he wasn't. Tsuna was and had always been an odd child from his point of view, well, if he _was_ a child. No, Reborn mentally decided, the brunet was far too mature, too farsighted into things, it was impossible for a child to have such a mind. Even a genius had issues, but Tsuna had the experience, experience he shouldn't had. Reborn narrowed his eyes in suspicion, was Tsuna like him? Trapped in a body that didn't comply with the mind? However, that wasn't possible since Tsuna was only born thirteen years ago. Regardless, this would require some more investigation into his medical background.

Whispers broke out among the room right after that announcement. People were muttering to the fallen baseball player, asking if it was true and others were saying that they had heard about the other team from schools that had gone against them before. Yamamoto just slumped his shoulders as if he had been defeated, knowing he had been found out. Suddenly, a hand snapped out to grasp his shoulder, bringing Yamamoto out of his daze, and he peered up at the brunet curiously. They stared at each other for a moment before Tsuna moved, yanking the other up to his feet and out of his seat.

Soon, the baseball player found himself being forcefully dragged out of the room, ignoring the teacher who had just stepped in and was now calling for them to return to their seats. However, the moment the teacher caught sight of Tsuna, he seemed to quiet down slightly and gave an annoyed huffed before turning back to the rest of the class. Yamamoto, either way, didn't care, he was more curious about the brunet, who had never reacted in such a way and where he was being taken to. It was strange that Tsuna, who normally outright ignored everyone around him, would be the one holding his hand like this. It was almost like Tsuna was concerned. No, Yamamoto thought to himself, it wasn't possible. He hardly knew the other…right?

The hallways were silent, voided of people and sounds, except for their footsteps and the sun that was beaming in through the window on the sides. Their shadows danced across the ground, following right beside them, and it was like everything had gone still. As much as the black-haired teen wanted to question what was going on, would it ruin what was happening right now? Maybe. And so, he kept quiet, letting himself be led away to some unknown place.

They eventually stumbled into an empty room and Tsuna slammed the door shut behind, preventing anyone else from coming in. It was apparently the music room and not a single soul was in sight, just a couple of instruments out in different areas with sheets of music left forgotten on the stands. When Yamamoto decided to take a better look of the brunet, it was only then that he noticed the baby who was settled comfortably on Tsuna's shoulders despite Reborn having spoken up during their small interrogation. He blinked, not sure when the child had appeared, and looked over Reborn with his one good eye curiously. "Hey, Tsuna, who's that?"

The brunet turned back to the other and followed the direction where Yamamoto was pointing to. He stared at Reborn awkwardly from his position for a moment before looking back. "This is Reborn. He's been with me this entire time, even yesterday when I gave you the charm."

Yamamoto took a moment to process the information, not believing he had been so preoccupied to not notice someone else there, and decided to just laugh wholeheartedly. "Oh! I didn't know that! I must have been so distracted. It's nice to meet you, kid."

"Ciaossu, I'm Reborn, a hitman. Do you want to join the family?"

The teenager just stared at the other curiously. "That's really funny kid, is it some kind of game?"

Tsuna sighed at that, knowing exactly what Reborn was up to, and butted in before things go too far. "Yamamoto, come here, let me help you."

That caught the other's attention. "Help me? How?"

"Magic." The brunet placed his hands in front the other teenager, closing his eyes, and concentrated on the powers within his body, trying to bring them up to the surface. He muttered some words under his breath, in a foreign language that neither the teen or Reborn recognized, and soon a small light surrounded Yamamoto, making the black-haired human back up in surprise. The baseball player examined himself curiously and could feel a strange sensation flooding through him. It was warm and welcoming, not as cold as Tsuna's eyes. Slowly, he peered up to stare at the brunet to look over the person who was doing this to him.

As those eyes opened, Yamamoto couldn't conceal the gasp that escaped his lips, those once honey-colored eyes had a mixture of orange within them and colors were swirling together in a wonderful array. It was beautiful. Tsuna then made a quick horizontal slash with his hand and the light faded away, looking a little out of breath like he had just run a mile or two. "There, done."

"Done?" Yamamoto blinked curiously, he didn't get what Tsuna had meant, and neither did Reborn, until they took notice of the wounds. The bruises that were once there were completely gone, leaving only perfect peach-colored skin, and the aches and pains were no longer throbbing. It didn't take long before he connected the dots on what must have happened and was unsure on what to believe. Tsuna slowly reached up to point towards the arm as a helpful hint, taking a step back to inspect the other thoroughly.

The taller teenager examined his arm, finally realizing that the numbing pain was gone. He flexed his once broken limb easily, tearing off the bandages on it and around him. The cast was harder to work with due to the material it was made of, but Tsuna simply let his forefinger run across the top and it snapped in half. The other two were a little startled at how easily it broke, but ignored it for now.

Everything was healed, the broken bone, the cuts, everything. He looked like nothing had happened in the first place. But that wasn't possible, was it? No one could heal _that_ fast…right? Then again…Tsuna had always been a mysterious person since a long time ago. Yamamoto grinned brightly, peering up at the brunet with a brilliant smile. "Oh, it's all healed up! Thank you so much! I…I don't know how to repay you for this."

At first, the brunet didn't say anything, watching Yamamoto rub the back of his head nervously, and then turned away. "Now then, class is about to start. Be careful next time, will you? I can't always help you." Tsuna bypassed the baseball player without any hesitation, opening the door to the classroom, and gave a momentarily side glance towards the other. Yamamoto stared in front of him before finally realizing that his savior was no longer a few inches away and spun around to say something, anything to stop the other from leaving. And yet, when he was met with those familiar cold eyes, he froze. No, they weren't completely cold, there was some concern in them and confidence he hadn't seen for a long time. Wait…long time?

No, he _knew_ those eyes, he had seen them before directed at him, but from where? There was a flash of a memory of seeing those eyes holding amusement in them, but that only brought up more questions. Had he been younger? Older? He couldn't remember. It was like there was a memory trying to force its way back from where it had hidden itself for all his life and yet, it remained where it was, never budging out completely. Then, the classroom door closed, leaving him all alone in the empty classroom in his questioning state.

"Tsuna?" Reborn interrogated, looking down at the brunet. His hands were gripping into the soft caramel-colored hair with some gentleness and leaned over to get a better look at the brunet's face. This was starting to look a little strange. Tsuna was really acting out of his normal personality range and it made Reborn wonder just what was the other hiding from him much less thinking. It had something to do with the baseball player, but what? "Why did you heal Yamamoto like that? And you even gave him that charm. This is very unusual of you. Tsuna, can you tell me what you're up to?"

"Who knows, perhaps I owe him something." Tsuna muttered freely under his breath, entering the classroom, and was well aware of the stares he was getting from everyone. He just ignored them to head to his desk, bypassing the teacher, and when he settled into his seat, his eyes immediately looked out the window, barely listening to the muttering around the room. A few moments later, the door opened again and Yamamoto came stepping inside, looking slightly pale in color, but was smiling cheerfully in that fake stupor. There were abrupt amount of questions at the sudden recovery, but the player just avoided them, peering at Tsuna with eyes that stated he wanted to talk.

The brunet spared a glance before making a 'tch' under his breath. How funny things happened…


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by WhiteAngel128 and persephone crux
> 
> Edited: 10/18/15

Takeshi couldn't remember where he was going, it was strange. It was raining and there was a pair of arms on him, holding him down painfully. Looking up, he saw two large men, dressed in black suits, faces darkened by the rain. He couldn't see anything and he wanted nothing more than to escape their grasp, but he couldn't. Those arms were much stronger and when he tried to move, the grip just tightened. It hurts, he told himself, and it was cold, so very cold. The rain slammed against him painfully, burning his skin upon touch and yet, it continued on, no umbrella or cover to protect him. What was happening? How had he gotten into this situation? He couldn't remember, but he knew this was a dream, no, a memory. A memory from along ago…

He had been taken, hadn't he? Kidnapped… Some men had showed up after school and took him away. That was what happened, right? But why? He didn't understand. He had been what? Eight, at that time?

Where was Dad? He wanted Dad, he wanted Mom, too, but she had already passed away. That's right, she was dead and was never coming back. Then where was his father? Takeshi tried not to cry, not to break down upon the sight of the people around him. They were on a crowded street, people walking by under umbrellas, faces hidden, and he felt scared. The fear within him was growing more and more, he wanted to go home, somewhere safe and warm and far away from these brutes who were caging him in.

"I can't believe this is Yamamoto's kid. Weak."

"Well, he didn't want to work with us anymore after all. If we use his kid against him, we can blackmail him into doing so."

Takeshi didn't understand what those men were talking about, but it didn't sound good, that was too obvious to his childlike mind. They were whispering among each other with him sandwiched in between, knowing that no one else would be able to hear. The people around them were commoners, normal people who didn't even spare a glance at the two overly dressed men.

As they got to a crosswalk, one of the men nudged Takeshi, making him look up with large fearful eyes and then followed the outstretched hand across the traffic. There, on the other side of the street, was his father, staring at him with panic-filled eyes, and obviously had just run out of the restaurant from the way he was dressed.

"Dad!" Takeshi yelled out, trying to desperately twist and turn out of the grasp, but he couldn't, those grips were too tight. Tears were falling down his face, but they went unnoticed by the surrounding people. It simply looked like raindrops. "Dad! Dad!"

His father's mouth was moving, calling out his name, but he couldn't hear from the cars zooming across and the pelting rain. Takeshi wanted nothing more than to run over into his father's warm arms, but the traffic continued to pass by between them, unaware of the dilemma. He was scared, so scared.

Then a hand touched his own, startling him out of his stupor. It was unlike the other men. No, it was small, and just like his own, tiny, but so much stronger. He peered over to see an umbrella covering a student from his school, the uniform was too obvious, and that soft brown hair…

'Sawada?' Takeshi recognized that hair, those eyes. After all, terrible rumors about his classmates had spread like wildfire among the school. He was scared, too, he didn't like rumors, and he made sure to never judge anyone until he talked to them first. And yet, here was Tsuna, standing next to him, looking not frightened, but confident and was still so cold, like the rain. The umbrella was a soft color of orange, droplets of water dripping down the sides, and that hand continued to hold onto him tightly as if asking him to trust him.

Then, the light changed to green and Takeshi turned around as he felt himself getting nudged forward, those large arms dragging him out into the street. He could still feel that tiny hand on him, never leaving, and he watched as his father ran forward. However, at the last moment, the older man slipped on the water at the curb, tumbling backwards towards the rest of the crowd, preventing them from going onto the street. The sound of a car sliding, probably from the rain, was heard by the child, preventing the rest of the crowd from behind to follow until they moved around.

He didn't get it, something was odd about this situation. When they stepped past the car, he could hear the screeching of tires, of brakes, and slowly he looked up. A truck, a large truck had lost control from the water…and was coming straight towards him. Before he could let out a scream, that tiny hand belonging to Tsuna snapped him back, yanking him right out of the way.

However, his eyes never left the two men who had taken him. They were slowly turning around, glaring at him, but that was only for a few moments as the truck came crashing by. Takeshi felt something warm hit him on the face and hands and there was a loud, earth-shattering splatter and crash. Everything seemed to be hazy as he peered down at what looked like bodies, the forms twisted into something that didn't look human. There were limbs here and there, bended into awkward positions, and bones appearing outside the skin. Some were torn, even into pieces, and others were flattened from the weight of the truck.

Blood was covering everything around him, quickly being washed away by the water surrounding them. There was some screaming in the background, muddled by the rain, and he looked down at himself to see that redness bleeding into his clothes. He couldn't get a good look at anything else as he suddenly felt a warm embrace surround him, a strong pair of arms holding him closely. Takeshi blinked and looked at the person that was holding him, recognizing that scent of fish and sushi ingredients and knowing it was his father. Crying out, he returned the hug, screaming and begging his father never to let him go.

Throughout that time, he had forgotten all about the little figure with an orange umbrella that was standing just a few feet away, unaware that the person was already walking away from the scene. He could hear his father calling out to someone, he wasn't sure who, probably the child, and then heard some softly-spoken words to himself, trying to calm him. Then darkness came.

* * *

"Takeshi?" A voice called out to him, the teenager snapping himself awake and blinked questionably when he found himself sleeping against the sushi counter. He peered up curiously, eyes half-lidded and tired in appearance, and saw his father looking down at him with worried eyes. At the sight of the older Yamamoto, Takeshi gave a grin to let the other know he was okay and sat up from his spot, stretching his arms behind his back. He hadn't realized he had fallen asleep over the counter during work, must have been because it was kinda slow with such little deliveries. When not busy, the work could easily be handled by the other workers of the place. "You alright, Takeshi? You don't normally fall asleep like this. Was baseball practice hard today?"

Takeshi just gave another grin, waving his arm. "Nah, I'm just a little sleepy. Had a weird dream though," He looked down at his arm, happy that he was able to move the limb so easily. The surprise on his father's face when he had seen a complete and sudden recovery had been funny to look at. He, of course, was questioned about it immediately, that was to be expected. However, the teenager wasn't sure how to answer it, it was impossible to make a reply that didn't make him sound odd. Magic? How odd would that sound? Still, the moment he said Tsuna's name, Takeshi had watched his father tense up and then smile gently. It had been a strange response and he had wanted to question that himself when he shook his head. He had more important things to do. "Is there a delivery you need me to make?"

"Y-Yeah…" Tsuyoshi seemed hesitant on letting his son back out to deliver after yesterday's incident, and the game was tomorrow, too. He couldn't shake off a bad feeling he was having in the pit of his stomach. "Everyone else is out so you're the only one left. You don't really need to go though, we can wait for someone else if you don't feel like it."

"It's alright, Dad, I'll be fine."

"But you just recovered-"

"Dad, I'll be okay. I'll be extra careful today," Takeshi gave that slight narrowing of his eyes by mistake. He didn't mean to, but he wasn't in the mood to argue. Perhaps some fresh air would do him some good, he needed to clear his head, especially after that dream. He lifted up the finished sushi that was boxed carefully and read the address, knowing exactly where it was at. It was one of their regular customers and he had delivered there a couple of times in the past. As he went around the counter to leave, he paused for a moment, looking down at the bracelet that he had on his wrist and smiled gently. "Hey, Dad?"

"Yes, Takeshi?" Tsuyoshi was getting another batch of sushi ready, slicing through the fish with guided ease. When he didn't get a response, he looked curiously, the worry from before coming back to shine in his eyes. "Takeshi?"

"I…had a dream about when I was young. Can we talk about it later tonight?" The widening of Tsuyoshi's eyes was clear upon realizing what dream it could be and Takeshi smiled gently. "I'll be back okay. Don't worry, I think I have someone looking out for me out there. Well, I think. See you." With that, the baseball-loving teenager exited the restaurant, running down the road to get as far away as possible. He loved the wind as it rushed at his face, dashing through the streets with ease. Passing by people and buildings alike and even streets, he eventually came across the place he was looking for. He handed over the items, luckily not needing to gather money since the customer had paid over the phone, and was back to wandering through the streets. He wanted to take his time, to give himself the chance to clear his mind. That memory was still fresh in his head, he was certain - absolutely certain - that the small boy at that time was Tsuna. Still, why had Tsuna been there at the first place? It didn't make sense.

"Oh! Look! It's Yamamoto Takeshi!"

"Hey, yeah, it is."

At those voices, Takeshi lifted up his head curiously, a shiver of fear running down his spine as he remember those voices. They had been the ones who…

"Look, he doesn't seem like he was injured at all." The first one spoke, grabbing Takeshi's right arm, dragging him closer.

The other one chuckled in amusement, and then there was a third voice. "Perhaps we should make sure of it this time."

Takeshi could feel his world spinning. These people, he didn't want to mess with them, not right now. He was supposed to get home safely, he needed to get back to Dad. Without realizing it, he was already being pulled away towards the streets, at a crosswalk and a flash of memory appeared in his eyes. He turned around, searching for that familiar person, but no one else was nearby. The streets were almost empty, no one was on their side of the sidewalk, but as he looked to the other side, his eyes widened.

'Tsuna…' There the brunet stood, looking normal like always with Reborn on his shoulder. Those cold eyes were staring directly at him as if trying to convey some message, but Takeshi didn't get it. As the light turned greened, Tsuna stepped forward, arms at his side, momentarily glancing to the side towards the incoming traffic then back to the black-haired teen.

"Idiot…" At those words, the brunet suddenly rushed forward, slamming his body against Takeshi to break the hold the other teenagers had on him. Reborn was holding on for dear life, knowing that if he were to let go, he too would be in trouble. The three fell to the ground in a tumble and just in time.

Takeshi could still see himself falling and listened to the world around. His ears could pick up the screeching of tires, the sounds of a horn going off desperately - trying to warn those ahead - and yet nothing happened to him. He could only watch as a truck, just like before in his memory, slammed into those three teenagers who would have broken his body once again.

His eyes widened in shock, watching as blood splattered across the ground just like in his memory and some on his cheeks, the warmth of it a curse. There was a loud piercing scream, the truck continuing on its course as it ran over the bodies, its tires causing the chest cavities to explode at the pressure, splattering out the organs that had been contained within. Bones were stabbing outside the flesh in multitude of directions, the faces twisted until they were unrecognized, with blood covering everything. It was disgusting, terrible, and so horrifying.

There was no rain this time to wash the blood away so it simply gathered, pooling around the three teenagers. The world was silent before screaming was heard along with sounds of people running by and others calling for help. But Takeshi knew better, that scene, those corpses, there was no way anyone could survive. Once again, this incident had occurred, was it because he was weak? Unwilling? Useless? He turned to Tsuna curiously, who was resting on top of him, and he turned away from the bodies, the redness, and looked up at the cloudy night sky. There was no moon, just darkness.

" _Gloomy skies like this forebode darkness."_

He blinked as a phase entered his mind, it was small and weaker, but it was Tsuna's. Watching the brunet, who was slowly getting up from his position, Reborn looked over the two of them and then at the scene with calculating eyes. The younger-looking teen was on his arms and legs, hanging above him.

"Idiot," That was all Tsuna had said and all that needed to be said. He slowly got up and positioned his body in a way so that it would cover the scene. "Come on, Yamamoto. Get up, I'm taking you home." Tsuna muttered, leaning down to lift the other male by one side, trying to drag him away from the scene. It was a slow process and quite difficult with the crowding of people.

That seemed to snap some sense into the baseball player, his eyes looking at the brunet carefully and he nodded his head, resting closer to the other. He muttered a word of thanks, not fully aware that Reborn was on the ground, and leaned into Tsuna's shoulder, feeling that soft hair on his cheeks. It was nice and warm, Takeshi decided. Really warm.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by WhiteAngel128 and persephone crux
> 
> Edited: 10/18/15

" _Hey, you look a little lonely there!" Takeshi smiled, getting closer to the new student who had just been transferred to their classroom from another. He could hear all the rumors going around about this new student, but he didn't believe them. Everyone deserved a chance, right? The brunet looked at him curiously, an eyebrow raised in surprise, with a book in his hands. The novel itself looked far too advance, having words he didn't recognize at all and some were so big he couldn't even count that high._

" _I'm fine." It was a soft response, like the voice hadn't been used for a while._

" _No, you aren't!" The black-haired child grinned brightly, not caring about the way the other class members were staring at him. It was then that he noticed something odd, it was lunch time and yet the brunet didn't have anything on the table. "Oh! You don't have anything to eat. Did you forget? Well, here! You can have some of my sushi. My dad is the best!"_

_The brunet blinked again, this time clearly surprised, and watched as the other sat down in front of him, laying out the food. There were whispers among the group, but no one dared to get close enough. His attention was drawn back when a piece of sushi was shoved in front of his face._

" _Here! Try it."_

_The grin on the boy's face made the brunet only stare, but eventually he reached up to take the sushi. Large honey-colored eyes stared at the little round-like food, examining the different colors inside, before taking a small testing bite. He chewed slowly, a glint could be seen in his eyes, and then swallowed. "It's good."_

" _Of course it is! My dad is the best after all," Takeshi began to eat and when he saw the brunet finished that small piece, he shoved the plate into the center. "Here, have some more."_

" _What...What's your name?" The brunet asked curiously, reaching over to grab another piece. This time he dipped it into the provided soy sauce._

" _Yamamoto Takeshi."_

_The brunet muttered the name under his breath and peered outside where it was storming, droplets of rain just starting to come down. "You might want to be careful on your way home. Gloomy skies like this forebode darkness."_

_Takeshi didn't understand what the brunet had meant. Those were words he couldn't comprehend yet, but he continued to smile like it was nothing. "You're weird, but that's cool."_

_This made the little one turn back, blinking curiously. "Cool?"_

" _Yeah, cool!"_

_The brunet hummed to himself, and like it was contagious by the way Takeshi was smiling, he gave one of his own. His smile was twitchy and weak, obvious that he hadn't done the action for a long time. "Cool, huh?"_

* * *

When Tsuyoshi saw his son step in, he immediately dropped his blade, barely aware of hearing it clatter to the ground. He ran around the counter, rushing towards his son, and looked over him from head to toe. There was blood, blood on the skin and clothes, and Takeshi's eyes were a little dull in color. He felt sick at the sight, his son, his precious child. Who would dare harm him? If he found the person, he would put his skills with a blade to good use. He would turn them into sushi.

"Your son is alright," Reborn stated from below besides Tsuna's feet, his black eyes staring over the sushi master carefully, and stepped closer. "Tsuna saved him before anything bad happened."

"I-I see," Tsuyoshi looked over the brunet, seeing the same amount of blood on him as well, and wondered what could have caused it. A lot of scenarios flashed through his mind, but he mentally shook his head, it was better to ask and get the answer than to guess. "What…happened?"

Tsuna was slowly dragging the older teen towards the back, knowing he would need to sit down. The other customers looked over the two, some looking sick from the sight of blood while others were asking for their checks and some boxes from the other workers. No one could really sit and eat peacefully with the amount of blood on the two teenagers.

Reborn sighed and tilted his fedora downward as he jumped up onto the table to get a better view of the area. "There was an accident. The same boys who had harassed him yesterday came back and were going to pull him into a more remote place for another beating. But to get there, they had to cross a street and a truck ran a red light. Tsuna ran across and jumped onto your son to get him out of the way, but the other three boys got hit. It was an instant kill, the blood on them is theirs." The hitman didn't want to say that the accident was probably and most likely caused by the very brunet that was sitting at the counter. Those words never left his mouth.

The tension on Tsuyoshi seemed to dissipate, glad that his son was at least physically alright. As for mentally, he would need to check up on that later. Right now, he knew he had to close the restaurant, there was no way he or his people would be able to work at this rate. He quickly told the customers and workers what was happening, all understanding right away since they had obviously seen the sight, and complied with Tsuyoshi's wishes. Many were packing up, getting checks and others out with payments sent in. Tsuna remained close by to Takeshi, never leaving his side except when he went away to grab a towel to start cleaning the blood off of the baseball player.

"He's in shock." Tsuna stated easily, continuing to clean the blood off gently, his eyes still dull in emotion like always. As he finished up, he looked into those eyes, seeing them so lifeless-looking, but he knew better, Takeshi just needed time to adjust. It was a traumatic event, he told himself, and a person wouldn't just step out alright after seeing someone getting killed so brutally. Just like how the other had previously sealed his memories of the entire day of the kidnapping long ago. His honey-colored eyes drifted over the area and settled into a seat close by, wondering how long it would take for the other to finally wake up.

"Tsuna," Reborn hopped up onto the counter, looking up at his student. "What you did, was that really necessary?"

The brunet didn't answer, closing his eyes for a moment. He hummed to himself as if thinking, but both could tell easily that he was just delaying in responding.

Tsuyoshi came by once everyone in the restaurant was gone, looking over the situation, and examined his boy closely for anything wrong, before peering at the hitman on the other side. The store was so empty, the doors closed shut, and there was only silence, silence that he broke. "So…what's Vongola's most trusted assassin and the number one hitman in the world doing here?"

Reborn smirked, flicking his fedora upward. "Nothing you really need to know. Just that, I'm here to simply train my new student," He peered up at the brunet curiously and narrowed his eyes slightly. "Except he's been giving me lots of problem."

The adult's eyes widened slightly at that announcement. "If what you say is true, then the new heir is…" He peered at Tsuna with eyes that were filled with all sorts of emotions and then back at his son. Would his family be dragged back into the darkness of the mafia after he had managed to get out? After the cost of his darling wife's life just to get out before?

"I'm not going to be a mafia boss." Tsuna stated without any hesitation, pulling his book out of nowhere and was back to reading, his eyes focusing on the pages.

"You don't have a choice."

"Yes, I do."

"We'll see about that." Reborn glared, giving a small kick to the side, not enough to get Tsuna to fall down, but to give a warning.

The brunet didn't respond to the physical abuse and just sighed. He looked over at Takeshi, wondering whether he should leave or not, and stood up to move away. "I think I should head home," He kneeled down and picked up the bracelet to place it into the loose fingers that seemed to twitch at his touch. "You know, I didn't really place a charm onto this. It's really meant to boost your confidence, you have the skills and the ability, but if there is no confidence, then you can't move forward. And if you think your skills are going down, you're supposed to struggle to go forward. Nothing is ever given for free in this world without some work or effort. That work is what makes the end result so favorable."

Takeshi's eyes seemed to brighten up slightly at that, raising up a little and peered at the other.

"Now, I think its best that I go for today. You need some rest and some time to think. You also have a game tomorrow to worry about as well." Tsuna muttered under his breath, pocketing his hands, and was about to walk away when a hand reached out to grasp his arm. He paused, a little surprised, but stopped in compliance.

Slowly, Takeshi got up from his spot, looking a little uncomfortable at what he wanted to say, and glanced down at the charm. The moment he saw that, he suddenly smiled to himself and nodded his head. "Tsuna, could you…stay here for the night?" The baseball fan was rewarded with a flicker of confusion within those honey-colored eyes and rethought back on his words. "Maybe not the whole night, but I just want someone beside me for a while. You don't have to talk and I umm…" He trailed off for a moment, wondering what he should say to keep the other here with him. It was then that he remembered that Tsuna loved books, always seen carrying one with him at all times and read them during class. "I have some books upstairs you can read in the meantime and they're not about baseball."

The brunet perked up slightly at that, looking a little eager, and then nodded his head. He turned to Reborn for a moment as if to convey a message, both understanding the situation. As the hitman jumped up onto the shoulders, Tsuna took off for a phone in the back of the restaurant to call Nana to let her know what was going on. It was best to speak the truth as close as possible while avoiding certain things so that she would be more understanding of the situation.

Once Tsuna had left, the only ones left in the restaurant were the father and son. They were awkward enough as it was after the events.

"Hey, Dad…" Takeshi's voice echoed into the silent room, looking at his father who was fixing the ingredients for tomorrow. The older man stopped what he was doing immediately and turned to his son, taking in the appearance curiously, before finally sighing. He knew what was coming, he had been prepared for it, but after what just happened recently, he wasn't sure if he was anymore. It was like a rerun of what had happened in the past from what he had been told by Reborn. "You know, right before I left, I was talking about that dream I had."

Tsuyoshi didn't answer, remaining quiet. He didn't need to say anything since his son continued on.

"I didn't know what was going on at that time and I won't ask why it had happened in the first place, but you know, Tsuna was there," Takeshi could see his father straightening up in shock, the knife in mid-air, and then relaxed. That was something he didn't miss and he could guess that Tsuyoshi had already known about it from the very beginning. "He was behind me, following like a shadow, and gave me a silent message that everything was going to be okay with a single touch. Tsuna…just like back then and now, he saved me. I think the rumors of him placing bad luck on people are true, but…he used those abilities of his to help me, to protect me." The teenager settled further into his seat, smiling softly to himself, looking incredibly happy. "When the men were dragging me across that street towards you, at the last moment, Tsuna pulled me back and today he jumped onto me to push me out of the way. He was the one who healed my broken arm and wounds and even gave me a charm to boost the confidence that I had been lacking…"

Tsuyoshi watched as his son shakily get up from his seat, walking over to him. He placed down his knife and reached for those quivering shoulders. Was his child about to cry? Why?

"Hey Dad, would it be bad for me to want to be Tsuna's friend? I owe him so much, my life even. And that kid had mentioned about playing mafia and joining their team. But would it be bad to join his side, not because I owe him so much, but because I want to get closer to him?" Takeshi stared up at his father in wonder.

The elder didn't know what to say to that, he honestly didn't want his son to be involved with that mafia. But then again, if what his child said was true, then they both owed him a lot. He had known from the very beginning about the involvement of the brunet. At that time during the kidnapping, he had seen the Tsuna in the background, making some sort of motion with his hand, and in that instant, he had felt something slam back against him. However, it was that strange force that had prevented him from being a victim in the accident. How many times had he wanted to question the brunet whenever he stepped into Takesushi? It was too often, but he kept his mouth shut.

And yet, Tsuna never asked, never mentioned, always keeping quiet about what he had done and continued on with life as if it had never happened. Since he couldn't say his thanks over the situation, he slipped a few pieces of extra sushi into the brunet's order. Tsuyoshi knew that Tsuna had noticed the excessive amount of his own compared to his mother's and there had been a few stares thrown his way, and yet, nothing about the incident was brought up.

Still, if that was the type of boss Vongola was going to have, then perhaps he could entrust his son over. It didn't make him happy, but if the brunet had already gone this far to protect his son from danger, he wondered what would happen if true danger came knocking at their door? Would there be a bloodbath? The older Yamamoto smiled softly as he pulled his son closer for a hug, muttering words of comfort and letting his son know that everything would be alright.

* * *

Tsuna didn't know what to do for once in his life. He was settled beside Takeshi's bed, taking hold of one of the many books that were about swordplay, and peered up at the black-haired teen. Takeshi was sleeping peacefully on the bed, almost unconscious, and was all curled up in the sheets like nothing could disturb him. Since the other was slumbering away, Tsuna wanted nothing more than to leave and head home.

"He's asleep." Reborn commented from Tsuna's side, leaning against his student as if it was a norm. His fedora was pulled downwards to cover his eyes like he was asleep himself with his arms crossed against his chest. Leon was wandering about on the fedora, eyes barely closed, with a slight flicker of that long tongue here and there as if dreaming.

"Yeah, I know. Do you think it would be a good time to leave?" Tsuna looked up momentarily at his classmate and then down at himself. He still had blood on his clothes. "I need to get back home and change."

Reborn didn't say anything to that, and he didn't need to. The brunet was already moving, placing the book down onto the ground, and hesitated for a moment before grabbing the sun Arcobaleno. The baby looked up at the other in question before going along with it, letting himself get carried. He was getting used to this. As they left the room, Tsuna took a momentarily glance back before turning off the lights and closing the door right behind. It was quiet and they made their way down the stairs to the front of the house, to the restaurant area, and gave a nod towards Tsuyoshi respectfully.

"Ah, wait, Tsuna," The brunet paused at the door, about to head out into the streets, when the adult called out to him. He watched as the older man came close, holding up two small packages wrapped neatly in a bag. "You two probably haven't eaten dinner yet, right? Here, take some sushi with you."

The brunet lifted Reborn up for him to get onto his shoulders before grabbing the box. His eyes drifted over it and then nodded his head as thanks. "I'll be going now. I'll come back again when I order."

"Actually, Tsuna," Tsuyoshi grinned, it was obvious where the son had gained his grin from. He reached over and patted the caramel-colored hair fondly, ruffling it with a chuckle. "Come over whenever you like, you're welcome anytime, and bring your mother here, too. The more the merrier."

Tsuna blinked at that, pausing for a minute or two, before nodding with a light tint of red dusting his cheeks. "A-Alright then. I guess I'll…see you later?" He backed away and quickly made his way out of the restaurant, wanting the cold air to cool his face. It had been too long since someone had said something like that to him, way too long.

Reborn smirked from his spot and reached up as well to pat the brunet on the head as if saying good job. Looks like he had secured an important group member and he didn't have to do so much, too. Though Tsuna acted cold and heartless, the hitman figured that if one was to get onto his good side, then enemies beware.

* * *

The night hadn't been that interesting, except for Nana fretting over her son's appearance, demanding for him to go for a shower to wash most of the blood off. The fear in her eyes was obvious and only truly went away when Tsuna repeatedly told her that there had been accident for someone else. Soon after Tsuna had been cleaned off, Reborn had been ushered into the bathroom for his own bath so that she could clean all the clothes completely whether it had blood on it or not.

In the morning was when things truly changed. Tsuna had just stepped out the door to head to school with Reborn in his arms like normal when he stopped. He blinked in question, looking at the person that was standing at the entrance of the house, and tilted his head. "Yamamoto?"

The baseball fan grinned happily and gave a wave, pulling away from the wall. "Hey, Tsuna! Good morning."

The brunet continued to stare. "What are you doing here? Don't you have morning practice, much less, a game?"

"I'm skipping. And besides, I wanted to talk to you," Takeshi stepped closer, wrapping an arm around Tsuna's shoulders, dragging the younger teen closer. There was a slight flash of discomfort within his dull eyes, not used to such close touches from people other than those living with him. "I've decided on something. I want to be your friend, not because you saved my life or anything, but because you're really a kindhearted person despite all the rumors around you. And that you're so interesting and mysterious."

Tsuna raised an eyebrow at that, tilting his head slightly to get a better look at the other. Reborn, on the other hand, had to maneuver to the top of his student's head since his spot had been claimed.

"You may act all cold and everything, but I figure that when someone you know is in danger, you'll come out of your shell to attack. You're kinda like a…" At that Takeshi started to trail off, looking a little confused as they walk to school. They ignored the stares they were getting from other school people and Reborn couldn't help but grin at the fear that was shining in their eyes. It was an odd pair, he'd admit, a popular well-known student with the one who was normally ostracized, and then there was himself. Finally, Takeshi spoke again with a laugh. "Well, I can't think of anything to describe you! You're like a little of everything, I mean. All I know is that you're a wonderful person and I want you to start calling me Takeshi. I'll call you Tsuna too! We'll be the best of friends."

There was a short silence to that before the brunet sighed. "What about Cursed-Tsuna?"

Takeshi just grinned at that. "That's your nickname that was given by the school. There's no way I'm going to call you that."

Tsuna blinked in question and then nodded his head, not going any further into depth. He hadn't realized that getting the baseball fan on his side as a friend would start the change, having Takeshi joining him during lunch and walking to and from school with him. It was…odd in a sense. The whole single week of having the other there with him constantly was difficult to get used to, but the brunet was making do. Though some people avoided the black-haired teen now due to their new friendship, it never seemed to affect Takeshi and it left them more to themselves. Others were even whispering that Takeshi was the only person who was immune to the curses of bad luck while some were saying that the student was too stupid to realize what was going on.

Reborn was smirking, because to him, the position of rain guardian had been gained. That was one thing he could check off of his to-do list.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by WhiteAngel128 and Persephone Crux 
> 
> Edited: 10/18/15

Tsuna sneered, more annoyances, more assassination attempts. How irritating. Didn't they know when to stop when all the men they'd sent after him before were now dead? Obviously not. His eyes peered over the area before him, watching as the blood dripped down the walls, no longer colored in that bright white. Reborn was settled on Tsuna's shoulder, watching the scenery before him in silence, and yet, the wonder in his dark black eyes was recognizable to those who could see him…except no one was alive but himself and Tsuna. Earlier that day, another batch of assassins had come after Tsuna, this time both as the heir of Vongola and Iemitsu's son. Nevertheless, they were dispatched easily and violently with Tsuna's various abilities.

He hadn't expected to have the various bosses of other mafia famiglias to send out more men to be literally slaughtered so soon. Reborn had been hoping for more of a break, to give him more time to get along with and learn about Tsuna, but it looked like that plan had been terminated. Oh well, he should have seen it coming, the idiots had been sending more sacrifices every time one group failed ever since Tsuna was young.

Tsuna made a small huff as he gripped a large cleaver and slammed the sharp end of it into a man's skull, splitting it open. The blood immediately gushed out from the opening and he retracted the blade back, taking in satisfaction when he watched the body convulse and collapse. He held the item in his fingers with ease, letting it hang down, and lifted it back up momentarily as he walked out of the room where fallen bodies were littered on the ground. From what they had managed to figure out, the room had apparently been rented out by the assassins and Tsuna had taken great pleasure in cutting them up with his newfound weapon.

He stepped around the corner without care, knowing he couldn't be stopped by any bullets or weapon and continued on. The cameras were already destroyed long before Tsuna had stepped into the building and he was dead set on cleaning out the place as quickly as possible. He had school later today and he wasn't going to miss it anytime soon, both because of Reborn and Takeshi. That and he wanted to get some more sleep. It was, after all, three in the morning.

Rounding the corner, the brunet gave a silent laugh as he saw some people coming closer to his area, quickly hiding behind the wall to keep himself hidden. Reborn held onto both his fedora and Tsuna's shoulder, knowing fully well that the other was about to launch himself to attack at any moment. Though the hitman would never admit openly it, he was quite impressed with his so-called student's ability to kill and think. He hadn't met such a person in such a long time and that only raised his interest in Tsuna. Now, if only he could do something about Tsuna's killing ways, then things might go by a little better. However, he didn't see that occurring anytime soon.

Just as he thought that, the brunet dashed around the corner, swinging the cleaver with one hand and sliced right through a neck. It was an instant beheading and Reborn watched as the attachment flew into the air, spinning during it, before falling down as a sickening flop. Blood once more splattered the hallway, barely missing the two, but Tsuna didn't stop his movement. There were two other men within the area and he made a quick spin, using the force from his previous attack to turn him around. The same blade came down at a horizontal angle from between the neck and shoulder, slicing down until it got stuck somewhere at the seventh intercostal space of the chest on the right side. But it didn't matter, Reborn knew that Tsuna had already gone through the heart. It was an instant kill, no doubt about it.

The third man, who was considered lucky by the hitman's standards in terms of distance, was about to let out a scream, a yell, a cry for help, when Reborn decided to take action. He didn't know why he suddenly wanted to help out his student. Maybe it was because he was growing tired of sitting back and doing nothing? It didn't matter. Transforming Leon into his gun form, he took aim and fired. Like always, the bullet went through the skull, right at the dead center, and he watched in satisfaction when the body fell back.

"Oh?" Tsuna blinked in surprise, bending his neck back to peer at the baby awkwardly. "Did you get bored? Or did you want to help?"

Reborn tilted his fedora downward, holding Leon up in the other hand. "Nothing you need to know about."

"I see." The brunet didn't go any further and ripped the blade out from the body, swinging it slightly to get rid of the excess blood on it. That fluid decorated along the wall in a sharp line and he shifted to the side. His eyes examined the area carefully, making sure he hadn't missed anything before moving away to head home. Everyone was dead, there was no need to do anything further, but he still kept the weapon to himself. He would need to return it back to its rightful place after all. Of course, Reborn didn't want to note that that same cleaver had been used to make his dinner last night.

* * *

"So, you have a game later today, right?" Tsuna looked up at the baseball player, who was grinning from ear to ear as if it was the most normal thing in the world. It had been a little hard speaking more often to his so-called friend, follower as Tsuna and Reborn declared, but that was fine with the brunet, he could easily adjust.

As for Takeshi, he didn't care as much about his friend's habits since after all, to interact with Tsuna, one simply had to read into his motions more than anything else to know what was going on. He had always known that the brunet was a quiet person, never speaking more than necessary, and it was a game to get the other to open up. It was a fun game, always entertaining to Takeshi with a wonderful reward at the end. "Yeah, I do, but I don't know if I really want to go. Will you come watch me play?"

The brunet blinked at that, looking down at his book and then back up at his classmate. After a few moments, he nodded his head, he had time to kill and it wouldn't be hard to simply read his book while the black-haired teen played on the field. It was better this way anyway. Though he seemed to be having less time to himself in class with Takeshi's constant presence, but that didn't mean he couldn't stop reading during class.

"Alright everyone, I have your tests from yesterday. When I call your name, please come and get them." Nezi called out among the class the moment he entered the room, carrying said stack of papers in one hand. Many of the students grumbled at the thought of seeing their grades while a rare few looked ecstatic, almost appearing like they were about to clap their hands together in glee. Once the teacher set down the papers at the front, he began reading out names from the top, watching as the students stood up to grab them, and couldn't help but offer a few words, positive or negative, when they took the papers. Those that got high grades immediately began to brag to their peers, showing to the rest of the class at how smart they were compared to all the other "low-lives" in the room.

Takeshi laughed nervously to himself, rubbing the back of his head, and leaned over towards Tsuna. He looked a little pale at the thought of getting his papers back, already well aware at how he was doing on his tests in class. "Are you worried about your test score?"

"No." The brunet didn't look up from his book, reading it as if it was more interesting than anything else in the room. Soon, his name was called up and he stood up, momentarily placing his item down for once, to walk over to grab the paper. He received a glare from the teacher, but he ignored it, heading back to sit down without a second thought. The brunet didn't even look at it and placed the test face-down so that no one else could see it before going back to reading. Takeshi was about to question the grade, wondering about his friend's reaction to it, when Nezi called him out next. He almost wanted to flinch at that, but resigned to his fate and went towards the front.

"Yamamoto, you need to pick up your grades. You can't keep going on like this in life," Nezi lectured, waving the paper around to allow everyone to see it. "Your grade is the one thing that's bringing down our average in this class. You're just lucky that you're good at baseball."

"Ahaha, sorry about that! I just get so into baseball that I forget about everything else," Takeshi laughed, trying to make the situation lighter, but he knew he had all eyes on him. He snatched his paper to prevent anymore humiliation, almost glowering at the sight of his grade. He settled back down in his seat, looking at the "30" that was in big red print, and sighed, his shoulders sinking downward almost in defeat. Trying to prevent himself from going any further into his momentary depression, he turned back to Tsuna to reach over and simply take the brunet's paper, already knowing that the other wouldn't mind or care. If Tsuna did, he would have stated or done something and there, on the other's paper, was a perfect hundred. Takeshi blinked before breaking out into an impressed grin. "Whoa! You're really smart, Tsuna. But I guess that should be obvious since you read so much!"

The younger-looking teen raised an eyebrow at the declaration and peered over at Takeshi's grade. He stared up at the other for a few moments, his mouth set into a thin line, before finally speaking, "I take it…that you want me to tutor you?"

"Oh, you found out!" The baseball lover grinned happily, laughing lightly. "I didn't want to actually ask and seem rude."

Donning a small smile that the other caught, Tsuna shook his head gently, feeling his brown locks follow along with his movement. He placed his book down momentarily, not caring that the teacher was still going on at the front of the classroom. "No, it's fine. We will start immediately after your game today. We have an upcoming test at the end of this week for science."

"Eh?" Takeshi seemed to pale at that. "Seriously? But I'll be so tired after the game today."

"And this is why your studies have been lacking. I'll let Reborn play with you. I believe he's been itching to torment someone." Tsuna's emotionless face turned into a grin, making everyone in the room shiver as a cold wind seemed to breeze in.

The hitman suddenly jumped down from the ceiling through one of his many ports, holding Leon in gun form, and smirked at the baseball fan. He watched in satisfaction when he saw the baseball player trembling at the sight of him along with everyone else, the same effect the brunet had gained. Shifting to the side, he lifted the tip of Leon up against his fedora, raising it up slightly to reveal more of his large black eyes. Apparently, if he couldn't torment his current student, it shouldn't be any problem turning that attention towards someone else.

"I won't let you escape my training. It'll be hell, but you'll live. The exhaustion you feel from your games will be nothing compared to mine. Every question you get wrong will be ten laps around Namimori." The hitman clicked his gun threateningly, daring the black-haired student to disobey. Yamamoto could already feel his legs dying at the thought, his facial color rapidly decreasing.

* * *

They had just finished the baseball game, Namimori's side winning by twenty points above the opponent, and the brunet had spent the entire time sitting in the back, reading. Reborn remained close by, probably searching for more recruitments for the guardians position, but, after a while, got bored with both of that and the game. He couldn't find anything interesting among the crowd and almost sighed, reaching over into his student's backpack to read one of the spare books that were generally kept inside. It looked odd for those who weren't aware of who the brunet was, but everyone just ignored the two after a while. Some of the females made some cooing sounds at the baby, but Reborn just disregarded them, he didn't feel like bothering with anyone but Tsuna at that point of time.

As they were heading through the school building for a shortcut, Reborn in Tsuna's arms with the backpack behind, Takeshi was chattering happily about the victory he had earned for the group, making most of the points through homeruns. The brunet just listened along like always, hardly speaking more than needed, however, the moment he took one step out of the building towards the front entrance, he suddenly paused. Takeshi and Reborn noticed it right away, but only the hitman knew exactly why. Cautiously, the brunet looked around the open grounds and then in front towards the exit before finally turning to the black-haired teen. "Change of plans. Go home first then come over. You can stay for dinner."

This sudden change made the other blink in confusion. "Huh? What do you mean, Tsuna? I thought I was going to come home with you today for a study session. I've already let Dad know about it."

The brunet didn't let up. "Go home first. You don't need to be dragged into my problems. You're an innocent after all."

Takeshi wasn't convinced and edged closer. "But-"

" _I said go home_."

"Vongola Decimo!"

The three snapped their heads towards the front where two men dressed in black suits were waiting. They were gruff looking around the edges and the obvious bulges at the sides symbolized the weapons that were hidden underneath. Takeshi immediately froze, his mind accidently going back into his memories of that one time, while the brunet went forward, holding onto Reborn like normal. He wasn't affected by the scene before him and instead narrowed his eyes at it. He quickly peered around the area, finding the place empty and deserted, before turning his attention back to the men.

"Come with us quietly if you don't want your friend to be hurt." One of the men spoke, advancing to grab Tsuna at the shoulder, already trying to drag him out of the school grounds.

Takeshi finally managed to make himself react as the sight of his precious friend being taken away. "Tsuna!" He was about to dash forward to help the brunet when the other man shoved him back crudely. The teen landed roughly onto the ground, letting out a small cry from pain as his hands scrape across the cement, and grinded his teeth together to control himself so that he could look back up.

"We don't have any business with you. Leave already." The man turned around, grabbing Tsuna's other shoulder, and the two mafia members continued to shove the brunet off. Tsuna peered back momentarily, but remained quiet, silently going along with the two men.

Takeshi's eyes were wide in shock and he immediately got up to follow, desperate to try and help his friend before something bad happened. He didn't want his first true friend to disappear on him, not after everything that had happened. And so, he stalked them from behind, keeping a distance so that he could watch everything, and tried his best to keep as quiet as possible to alert neither of them. Reborn, however, remained silent in Tsuna's grasp, looking quite calm despite the situation, but he was ready to fight if necessary to protect both himself and his student. It was almost like the men were unaware of the baby, the two guessing that the guards thought he was a doll of some sort.

Soon, the group shifted into an abandoned alleyway, most likely to do whatever terrible things to Tsuna, and Takeshi felt his blood running cold. He needed to call the police, someone, _anyone_ to help him out and yet…and yet, something was stopping him from doing so. As he turned the corner, he suddenly heard a loud cracking sound and peered inside the alleyway guardedly. At first, he saw nothing and, gathering some confidence about his well-being by touching the bracelet, he clenched his fists together to take that first step in. Finding himself still alright, he processed further into the alleyway, already fearing for his friend's life…until his shoes touched some sort of puddle below his feet. He could smell the distinctive smell of copper, of blood, and his eyes widened when he came across Tsuna standing to the side all still.

"Tsuna, are you alright?!" Takeshi immediately yelled out, ignoring his surroundings. He didn't care for anything else but the brunet before him.

Slowly, Tsuna turned around, staring at him with a momentarily grin before it disappeared. His stance relaxed at the sight of the other and those shoulders seem to fall. "Ah…I told you to go home." Reborn was in his grasp and they had seen Takeshi's eyes widened at the sight of the brunet's smile that was decorated with blood, his eyes slightly wide like they were laughing – his show of insanity.

Soon, the older teen shook his head to get himself back on track. "I can't leave you on your own, not with them. Where are they anyway?"

At that, the two paused, peering at each other, and Tsuna soon spoke as if he had been stating the most obvious, the smile disappearing. "Takeshi, don't you know? I _kill_ people. Reborn wasn't kidding when he said he was in the mafia and I guess considering my damn relationship with my asshole of a father, I'm now a part of it," He paused for a moment to allow some time for Takeshi to absorb before continuing. "Because of that, I have people coming after me. And if I don't kill them first, they will kill me and anyone else I am related to or are friends with instead."

It was at those words that the baseball player finally realized his surroundings, the two men - their bodies - were all over the floor with the necks… Takeshi slammed a hand over his mouth to contain the contents within his stomach from pouring out and felt woozy at the sight, turning away from the bodies. The necks, they were twisted around all the way by almost more than 360 degrees, if that was even possible. It was to the point where the skin had… "Tsuna…you…"

At that, the brunet sighed. "Yes, I kill, just like I killed those opposing baseball team members with a truck."

There was a silence between the group before the baseball fan spoke softly, "And how you did the same thing back when I had been kidnapped as well…"

That made Tsuna stopped his engagements, blinking for a moment. "You…remember?"

Takeshi nodded his head and slowly stepped closer. "Yeah, I remember. It's not a pleasant memory, but I'm grateful for what you had to do to save me. I…need some time to think on this subject, but…" The teenager paused and nodded his head. "But I'm certain I already know my answer. Tsuna, I don't care what you do, I just know that I'll be your friend through and through no matter what. Will you…tell me everything?"

Tsuna was surprised, he had suspected a lot of things that would happen when the other found out, so did Reborn, but this acceptance wasn't one of them. The brunet looked down at the hitman and then back up before finally nodding. The two of them would tell Takeshi about Tsuna's situation and in turn, the brunet would inform the hitman about what had happened in the past.

Reborn blinked when he felt the grip on him tighten and reached over to pat the arms wrapped around him fondly. It was his little way that everything would work out one way or another and Tsuna relaxed, unconsciously pulling the baby up closer.

* * *

Nana's happiness with the appearance of Takeshi into the household seemed to shine brightly among the room, quickly asking questions over everything to learn how the two had come together. Sadly, to her disappointment, no one was really in the mood to talk and she only understood soon after that the person who had been in the near-accident was none other than Takeshi himself. Reborn, being the little devil he was, produced a lie to Nana that Takeshi needed some time to recover before being able to speak freely once more due to the trauma and she believed it. Because to her, it meant that eventually the baseball player would open up and start speaking openly once more.

The explanation had been had taken two hours since there was a lot of details to go through and a few times, Reborn had hit Takeshi up the head for not paying attention after a while. Tsuna decided to be in a talkative mood and explain about his abilities and some of his background. However, he only told as much as Reborn knew so that everyone was up to speed, even about his kidnapping back when he was younger.

By the end of it, Takeshi was looking confused at certain sections, but seemed to get the basic of everything. "I…never knew about that. I guess I can understand your situation and understand what you've been doing. I'm not sure if I would probably do the same thing if I was in your spot, but it doesn't matter. But at six…" His shoulders seemed to shrink at that, it looked like someone had lost their innocence to the dark world long before he did. It wasn't fair, it wasn't right. Still, it would explain why Tsuna would act like that for such a long time and those abilities, those abilities were scary. They were being used to their fullest extent to protect himself and anyone around him. Takeshi almost smiled when he realized that he, too, was under that same protection.

Tsuna just shrugged his shoulders like he didn't care. "It's fine. Can't turn back time now. You just have to get used to it and move on."

Reborn remained behind, watching the reactions and the conversation between the two. He had noticed the slight changes in Tsuna with the new addition, he was slightly more approachable, just slightly, but it was an improvement compared to before. He just hoped that Takeshi would be willing to take in Tsuna's lifestyle.

"Well then, you still have me by your side so I'm going to be helping you from now on," With that, the black-haired teenager grinned widely, reaching around to grab Tsuna's shoulders to bring him in closer. "I know we all have our secrets and I can understand that! So I'll just have to take them in strides or as they come. Don't worry about me! I'll find a way to protect myself. Now then," Takeshi tried to change the subject to get to other things, like his studying. "I should probably finish my papers before that baby of yours kills me."

Tsuna blinked, and then blinked again before finally breaking out into a small chuckle, raising a hand up to hide his mouth. The two occupants in the room couldn't help but stare, knowing that that little sound told them just how wonderful it was.

Of course, Takeshi wasn't able to think much on it for much longer before Reborn, who had a small smile breaking out onto his lips, jumped down to kick him in the head. Yep, look like there was some improvement.

* * *

"Hey, Dad."

"Yeah, Takeshi? What is it? You look so serious."

"I remember you said you would teach me the way of the sword if I got serious. I'm serious now, will you teach me?"

"Eh? May I ask why?"

"I have an important friend to protect and I need to get stronger in order to know I can protect both myself and him."

"This is about Tsuna, isn't it? I see. Then I shall teach you Shigure Souen Ryu."


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by WhiteAngel128 and Persephone Crux 
> 
> Edited: 10/18/15

Reborn looked down at the paperwork before him, not entirely sure on what to make of the data. He had asked Shamal to do some medical background checks on his student, to see if there was something he was missing that would help him clarify some oddities, and then there it was. Acute myeloid leukemia. Tsuna had cancer, fourth stage. From the documentation and the details of it, it had spread throughout his entire body system, attaching to the organs throughout the body, and it was too clear to Reborn's eyes that a cure was impossible at that point. Tsuna could only hope to have a painless death either by narcotics or suicide, well, if the poor child hadn't died from the treatments to keep him alive first.

But then suddenly, it had been cured out of the blue, the cancer itself had vanished from Tsuna's body. Everyone that wasn't in the department had claimed that it had been a misdiagnosis, but the hitman knew better. That documentation, those labs reports, those microscopic scans of the cancer cells themselves, those didn't lie like that. Then how did Tsuna become cured of his cancer?

Reborn could only think of one thing: magic…

His shoulders slumped at that, tightening his grasp on the papers before him and leaned back onto the wall behind him. It seemed he had underestimated the ability and extent of Tsuna's powers. It was more powerful than he had originally thought, much more powerful. If it was able to cure his cancer, then what else could it do? There was a large amount of possibilities that could occur, almost endless in nature. Reborn sighed, closing his eyes for a moment to stare up at the ceiling as he tried to comprehend everything.

He had never met such a person before, someone with such an ability that could be so unseen and unlimited. It was amazing, but that didn't make things any easier for him. Molding him into the perfect Vongola boss, if that was even possible at this point, would be difficult. Tsuna was resistant against the whole process the entire way, showing absolutely no interest in becoming the next boss. It wouldn't be as hard if the other had nothing in life so that he could twist and convince Tsuna otherwise, but the brunet showed utterly nothing, even when Takeshi became involved. Regardless, the hitman could hardly keep up with the new things he was continuously learning and even though there was some parts Reborn could use, that murderous and maniacal personality was not one of them. Still, he felt no need to fix it. He didn't understand why, but no matter how many times he tried to rake his brain for the answers, he came up with nothing. It was like his gut was telling him to leave Tsuna as he was.

With that thought, he more mysteries he had to settle before actually getting to the teaching part. He was waiting for the moment when Tsuna would crawl towards him for help, but at the rate this was going, that was never going to happen. He wouldn't get his chance with how powerful Tsuna seemed to be and he was beginning to feel more like a household guest or member than a tutor like he was meant to be.

Still, that brought him back to his other thoughts. Reborn, no doubt, wanted to ask the brunet all sorts of things on this new evidence or even Nana, who might know something, but his lips remain sealed. It wasn't something that could be brought up at any time. Tsuna had been six at that time, probably too young to remember so much, and there was a strong chance that that was when the boy realized he had to grow up when facing death in the face. It could have created a chain reaction within a child's mind, but that…didn't explain everything. A child wouldn't grow up this much and there was still some of that experience that couldn't be explained. Cancer didn't do that much change to one's personality.

He was missing something, something very important.

"Reborn, what are you doing?"

The baby snapped his head up to watch the bedroom opening up wider to let Tsuna in, the brunet looking straight at him curiously. It was the weekend - of course his student would be home. Immediately, the hitman hid the documents. "Just reading something."

Tsuna stared, unconvinced. "I see," He stepped closer, eyes dull like always. "About what?"

"Nothing you need to know about." Reborn turned away and jumped up onto the bed to gain some height so that he wasn't straining his neck back so much.

The brunet stared at him curiously for a while before shrugging his shoulders, settling down beside the bed, carrying a plastic bag. More books, Reborn noted immediately, and placed the papers into a safe area, somewhere Tsuna wouldn't bother searching, while his student was busy. The supposed-to-be Vongola boss tilted his head to the side and organized everything in front of him before flopping onto the floor to stare at the ceiling. His arms were spread out, his hair cluttering all in one position, and blinked when Reborn's face came into view.

Tsuna's honey-colored eyes stared for a few seconds like he was watching out for something before closing. He shifted a little in his spot as if offering the hitman to rest beside him and the baby took it. Reborn settled next to his student's head, doing the same thing except his fedora being off to the side. He stared up at the ceiling, not sure what this meant between them, and could see out of the corner of his eyes the blue sky and white clouds at the window. It was open and a breeze gently blew through, rustling his spiky hair.

'Peaceful…' Reborn thought and decided that closing his eyes wouldn't hurt when he was already so comfortable. It was almost a sin to actually move. Tsuna was already fast asleep next to him, helping him in deciding that there shouldn't be any harm in taking a little nap. Of course, he woke up later in the day curled up against his student with the brunet's arms wrapped tightly around him. This occurrence was starting to get more common. 'Again?'

* * *

When Takeshi came in looking a little beaten, but in high spirits a few mornings later (the last few being a weekend), Tsuna could only stare in curiosity and immediately examined the other thoroughly. When he decided that it didn't appear to have been done by some unfortunate idiot, he stepped forward with Reborn on his shoulder and tilted his head as if questioning the condition.

Takeshi just laughed it off, rubbing the back of his head, and stated that everything was alright. Tsuna let it go for the time being, letting the other have his privacy, that was until a couple more days later when the bruises from before had become large gashes. He narrowed his eyes at the sight and motioned Takeshi on that day to head to the side out of nosy people's eyes to get it healed up. Tsuna actually had to use his magic to fix everything since some weren't bandaged up correctly, leaving the wounds free for a bacterial invasion.

"I still can't believe how this magic works." Takeshi stared in amusement as the warm sensation passed over his body, holding back a shiver that wanted to go down his spine.

"Don't bother, it's too complicated for your brain."

"Hey, that's mean!"

Reborn, though hiding it incredibly well, was still curious about the workings of this magic and manipulation skills that Tsuna held. However, he'd rather not be on the receiving end of any of them and so far had been successful, the bad luck curse not counted. He had tried multiple times to get the brunet to run laps around the neighborhood and do his training, but one way or another, the brunet would get out of it. It was hard to train someone whose skills at dodging were unbelievable and Tsuna was smart to boost. Luckily, there were times when his student complied with what he wanted, jogging in the afternoon for a few good hours to increase his stamina, but other than that, Reborn had to manipulate his student. This usually resulted in deals and allowing Tsuna to sleep in or skip school, whichever the brunet wanted the most at that point of time.

"So, are you going to tell me what you've been doing? These cuts look like they were made by a blade." Tsuna questioned as they headed to school, his expression bored as normal, and was rumbling through his bag to ensure he had his books for the day.

Takeshi laughed at that, rubbing the back of his head, and flexed back to peer up at the sun. "How about I show you after school?"

The brunet tilted his head at the announcement before finally nodding in agreement.

* * *

"Hey, Dad, I'm back!" Takeshi called out into the restaurant, grinning widely as he stepped in the inner area. Tsuna and Reborn were right behind, following along like always, the two were never too far apart. They went straight to the front where Tsuyoshi was standing at with a similar grin, though there was look of confusion mixed in.

"You're back early! I thought you had practice today," The sushi master turned his eyes towards the brunet. "Oh and you brought Tsuna along with you as well. Good to see you again. Are you here for some sushi?"

"Maybe later, but I was wondering if Tsuna could watch my practice. He's been wondering what's been going on and was kinda worried about the wounds I was getting."

While Takeshi was laughing, Tsuna came up behind and lightly shoved the other aside. "Do not put words into my mouth, I said no such thing."

"Aw, come on, don't be mean."

Tsuyoshi could only grin at the interactions between the two, already recognizing that his son was close friends to the brunet. It would be hard to pull the other away now, he was literally attached, though Tsuna seemed quite resilient to it. Reborn hopped off his student's shoulder, heading over to the sushi master with his hands on his waist.

"Are you upset with how things ended up happening?" The hitman asked, stealing one of the pieces of sushi the adult had just finished making.

Tsuyoshi wiggled his nose at that, but packaged the items regardless, finishing up his current orders so that he could leave it to someone else. "Oddly, no. I think Tsuna is someone Takeshi needs and vice versa."

"I think so, too."

As the group moved to the back, Tsuna peered around the building, taking note of the many homey furniture around the hallways that lead into various rooms. Pictures were on the walls, but none were about the family until he came across one hidden in the back of what looked like the master bedroom. It was an image of a family of three. Tsuna recognized the younger male as Tsuyoshi and could only deduce the woman as being the wife with their son in-between. Turning away, he continued to follow along until they eventually stopped at the back of the building where a dojo was located separately.

The brunet peered over the numerous swords and items that were scattered around the interior of the dojo and then at the ground where he could see scratch indents. Most were long and thin, but there were a few that looked like it had been stabbed. As Takeshi went to grab a blade to use for his practice, Tsuyoshi did the same and on the way, took off his apron, getting any excessive or restraining clothing off for battle. Tsuna tilted his head at what appeared to be a routine setting and shifted to the side, already figuring out what was going to happen. Reborn stood off to the side aw well, watching as the father and son got into a battle stance and struck. Within minutes, they were repeatedly exchanging blows, dodging and slashing forward. Neither of them was wearing armor, nothing to restrict them from moving. However, as time passed by…

'Slow…' Reborn noted immediately, seeing the delay between the exchanges on the younger Yamamoto's side as things continued. 'Far too slow.' The lags began to lengthen and the strength behind Takeshi's hits was weakening rapidly. Even with Tsuyoshi holding back, he was managing get past his son's defenses effortlessly, hitting the sides and the arms with the back of his sword without any hesitations. He made sure to keep them light, slicing through the clothes and skin carefully, and eventually lowered his grasp to knock his son's blade away with one final strike. There was a loud clatter and soon the sword was flung through the air, twirling before the hilt slammed straight into the ground.

The air stilled as if everyone was frozen, the two swordsmen staring at each other as victory was declared by eyes only. The spell was broken the moment Takeshi collapsed to the ground, breaths ragged, and his shoulders were rising and falling rapidly to get air into his lungs. "Damn…I just can't get through you."

The older Yamamoto just grinned, swinging the sword up onto his right shoulder, and by appearance, looked like he hadn't done anything yet. "You're still inexperienced and need plenty of training before you can get through my defenses."

Tsuna suddenly began to move, heading past the two quietly, and went for the fallen sword that landed just a few feet away from him, grasping the handle with ease. He tore the blade out of the floor, grasping the end tightly as if testing something, before making his way back to his fallen friend and held it out. "Again."

It was a simple command and Takeshi just smiled, getting up to take hold of the blade. He immediately got back into a battle stance and went for the strike without any hesitation. The new battle only lasted seconds before Takeshi was disarmed again and, this time, was slammed into a wall agonizingly. The black-haired teenager slid down to the floor, his eyes squeezed shut as the pain settled into his back and skull, and let out a little hiss.

"Reborn…" Tsuna's small voice caught the attention of the hitman, whose black eyes turned to him from below. Since the brunet was still standing, the sun Arcobaleno needed a better view due to his size and hopped up onto the right shoulder with his arms on his hips, Leon at his usual perch, to wait for the response. "You know why Takeshi isn't fighting well, don't you."

That just made Reborn smirk and he reached up to tilt his fedora. "But of course. It's too obvious."

"Yeah."

"But you'll have to be the one to break it to him."

Now that caught Tsuna's attention and a fleeting emotion of surprise passed his honey-colored eyes. He remained quiet for a few moments before slowly nodding his head. Pushing himself away from the wall, he went over towards the black-haired teen, who was trying to pick himself back up, and kneeled down. Takeshi was grinding his teeth together, brows downwards in frustration, and was slowly piecing himself back together from his defeat.

"Do you," Tsuna's soft voice caught everyone's attention, especially Takeshi's. "Know why you're doing so poorly?" When he got a shake of the head, he continued. "You're spreading yourself very thin. Besides school, you're focusing too much on baseball and swordplay at the same time and they're stressing you out. With everything you're trying to tackle at once, you're suffering equally on all sides. I know you have noticed your lack of ability on the field these past few days, and at the same time, you're not able to move fast enough in here. You'll eventually have to choose which one is more important and give up the other."

Tsuyoshi behind sighed and ran a hand through his hair, Tsuna was completely right. Takeshi, though serious, wanted to have both. Those words must be said eventually and he had been meaning to talk with his son about it, but it looked like the words spoken from a good friend would work far better, especially considering that this was the person his son wanted to protect so dearly.

Takeshi stared up at Tsuna with wide eyes and then closed them, letting out a deep breath. The tension in his shoulders was vanishing, a sense of calmness starting to make its way over him. "I guess…I'll have to let the team know tomorrow then."

Everyone jumped at that response, it was too fast. Tsuna kept the same face despite the announcement, looking down at his friend, his eyes conveying a message that no one else could see.

"Don't worry, I won't regret my decision. In all honesty, hanging out with you is much more fun than baseball and…" Takeshi trailed off at that, rubbing the bottom of his nose in embarrassment, a light tint of redness appearing on his cheeks. "Well, you're the first real friend I've ever had. It might be a little selfish of me, but I don't want you going anywhere without me." With that, he gave a large grin, smiling brightly to the rest of the world as if trying to illuminate it. "I mean, I really love baseball but I want to be with you more."

Tsuna blinked, his expression flickering for a moment, and then slowly nodded his head. "If that is what you wish."

"It is!"

"Then do what you like, I won't stop you."

"That's good to hear. Now help me up, I can't move an inch." Takeshi's grin got wider when Tsuna responded to him, extending his hand for the other to take. The brunet couldn't help but shake his head at those words and slowly lifted the other up to his feet. It was amusing to say, but he would expect nothing else from the other. Takeshi rubbed the back of his head nervously and muttered a word of thanks before slowly reaching down to grab the sword so that he could put it away.

It was at that moment that Reborn came stepping closer, his footsteps silent to all except for Tsuna. Tsuyoshi was watching as well, curious as to what the Arcobaleno wanted, and swung the sword up onto his shoulder. He let it tap the bony prominence gently, the back end of the weapon hitting him only. The moment the hitman was standing before the two teenagers, Tsuna kneeled down so that he could look directly into Reborn's eyes. He knew the other liked it more when he did so. After all, it was considered a sign of respect. The Arcobaleno examined over Tsuna's appearance before flicking his fedora upwards and rotated to the older Yamamoto with a smirk.

"Tsuna, I want you to fight Yamamoto Tsuyoshi." Reborn's announcement cut through the room, silencing everyone.

His student simply stared, looking up at the adult and then back down. He tilted his head soon after.

"I want to see more of your abilities and Takeshi and Tsuyoshi both need to see them as well," The hitman was calculating something, the brunet secretly knew that. What Reborn _really_ wanted was to see if Tsuna's abilities would be able to defeat a veteran assassin. He needed to know just how far his so-called student could go. "But no killing so make sure you don't do any of those manipulation techniques on the limbs. And Tsuyoshi, don't hold back, Tsuna here is a powerful foe."

"Of course." The brunet looked up and peered at Tsuyoshi, waiting for his response on agreement, as he placed his hands into his pockets. The approval he was searching for was a sharp swing of the sword being pointed towards him and he stepped closer to the center. Takeshi and Reborn shifted to the side, remaining as close to the wall as possible.

The two in the center stared at each other, neither moving as if watching their opponent carefully. Tsuyoshi was the first to speak up. "So, if you don't mind me asking, what was Reborn talking about earlier?"

"Perhaps afterwards." Tsuna simply spoke and remained still, his eyes watching every movement closely, every shift, everything. And then Tsuyoshi moved. The man ran forward, bringing his blade around, and just when he was about to swing at Tsuna's chest, his blade immediately met resistance. No, it crashed into some sort of invisible wall and deflected off effortlessly. His eyes widened at the sudden occurrence and then Tsuna moved. Well, only his hand did. He made a quick flick of his wrist and Tsuyoshi suddenly found himself flying backwards across the room, letting out a startled yelp as he did so.

"Whoa!" Quickly doing a back flip in the air, he managed to get his bearings on the situation and land onto the hardwood floors of the dojo. His feet slid across the ground, the surprise still clear in his eyes as he tried to understand what had happened. Narrowing his eyebrows in concentration, he examined his opponent a little longer before going for the attack again. "Samidare!"

Calling out his attack, a wave of water, made of rain flames as Reborn noted, appeared out of nowhere, ready to be combined with his attack. Regardless, Tsuna remained where he was at and moved his hand again, muttering a word under his breath, "Freeze." And just like that, the water froze immediately and soon after shattered. He made another flick with his finger and Tsuyoshi found himself flying up into the ceiling, slamming into it back-first by some weird force. Once that same force vanished, he came crashing down to the ground, dropping his sword for a moment.

Tsuna stepped closer towards the fallen man. "I can manipulate anything that is around me. Atoms, material, wind, even a human body, it doesn't matter. That is one of my specialties along with using magic. I routinely combine the two together to make it more powerful."

Reborn almost dropped his mouth open in surprise, a top assassin had been defeated effortlessly, and Tsuna hadn't even moved an inch from his spot until afterwards. Looks like his student was more powerful than he originally thought once again…and yet, it made the brunet even more intriguing. Yes, this would be a very interesting student to teach. His black eyes peered at Tsuna, well aware that the other was returning the same gaze with a blank look.

Eventually, the brunet turned away to head over to Tsuyoshi, helping him up.

* * *

"You're going to carry that to school?" Tsuna eyed the sheathed katana riding on Takeshi's back curiously, leaning back to get a better view of it. The baseball fan had never been one to condone violence so it was unusual that the other was bringing a weapon to school of all places. It was the opposite of the brunet of course, but he normally kept his hidden, though he was never much of a weapon person. It drew too much attention to him, but sometimes he just felt too lazy to bother using magic and nothing beats the feeling of physically tearing someone apart for fun.

"Yep. After the last incident here at school, I want to be more prepared and I can't be prepared if I don't have something to protect myself and you on hand, right?" Takeshi just grinned brightly, patting his friend on the back good-naturedly. They were still receiving stares from the student population, now not because of Tsuna, but the weapon strapped to the black-haired teen's back. However, no one dared to come up to them to ask and the bracelet that Tsuna had given to the rain guardian long ago was hanging off the scabbard like the many strings already tied there. It jiggled slightly at each step he took, but it looked just right where it was meant to be.

Reborn found the situation funny and watched the faces they passed by with interest. He had a lot of insecurities about Tsuna getting along with other people. That had been his main concern since he figured that the brunet was more likely to kill his friends or abandon them than actually give a helping hand. He was happy that he had been wrong in that department. 'Looks like Tsuna really have found a good dependable friend, comrade, and guardian. Good, we're finally making progress. Now, for the one I've called…'

As they stepped towards the gates, Takeshi almost froze at the sight before him, paling in complexion. It was the disciplinary committee, all lined up in a straight line with Hibari at the end, looking over each and every student carefully. It was a uniform check day apparently, and many of the students walked in uneasily while others were hiding to prevent anyone from seeing the additions to their uniform. Of course, normally this didn't bother Tsuna since he was always dressed the same, complying with the rules, and Reborn was normally gone from his shoulder on those days. However, for the baseball fan, it was different. After all, he was the one carrying an obvious weapon over his shoulder.

Tsuna tilted his head at the sight and kept going, reaching over to drag Takeshi closer as if offering confidence. That one movement seemed to calm the other down considerably and the swordsman continued to move, well aware of the committee's eyes turning to them immediately. They seemed a little surprise that someone would obviously defy the rules, much less it being one of the most popular and well-natured boys of the school.

"Herbivores," Hibari's voice called out with venom, glaring at the two who had perceptibly disobeyed the rules. Tsuna peered up at Reborn, who had refused to move from his spot, and sighed. He too was going to get dragged into this mess. "Bringing weapons and a child onto the school premises is not allowed to enter. I'll bite you to death."

"Aw, come on, you have a weapon, too, so I should be allowed, right?" Despite Takeshi's fear of the other, he continued to grin happily, swinging his arms behind him. He gave a small laugh, trying to distill the seriousness of the situation despite the fact that all eyes were on them. "And besides, it's just a prop for this awesome game I'm playing."

Tsuna blinked at that. 'Game?' He kept that comment to himself and peered up at Reborn, the reason for his calling, once more. The brunet just shrugged his shoulders, not caring about Hibari's claim against him. "I didn't bring him, he followed me here."

Hibari glared at the two of them before brandishing out his weapons, the two tonfas shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight. The air shifted, everyone backing away from the three, and the surrounding students who had been trying to pass to get to class ran off in fear. Almost immediately, the two friends' stances shifted with Tsuna taking a step to the side while Takeshi reached up to grab the handle of his sword. The taller of the group's smile had gotten wider, his eyes narrowed, and the three stared at each other as if trying to find weaknesses.

The students and the rest of the committee who were still around, stared in wonder, questioning on who would win the battle (despite many believing Hibari would be the victor). This had never happened before. Though they knew about Tsuna's strange involvement, Hibari had never really gone after the other, believing that everything everyone stated about the brunet was a lie. The brunet was never one to place himself out in the open anyway. This had been the first time he had purposefully done so and into the center like this where Hibari could see. It was shocking to all those who had him in their class and this arrangement had left some speculating. After all, they had never seen Takeshi or Tsuna in action so their wonder of the situation seemed to grow and they began to crowd. Whispers broke out instantly, some even daring to place bets on who would win.

That, however, made the skylark twitch in annoyance, peering over the entire group unhappily. It was then that a bunch of students, obviously disregarding the school code, came tumbling in, looking a bit high. They were wobbling around, making jokes, and were carrying and smoking cigarettes on the campus. Paper wrappings of what looked like candy bars were dropped behind them, not caring that they were littering the school grounds. Their laughter snapped everyone's attention towards them, except for Tsuna and Takeshi, who were keeping their eyes on the enemy. A bunch of idiots were no concern to someone else who had a higher threat right in front of them. However, to Hibari, it meant something else. Someone was destroying Namimori property, that was on the top of the list of offenses. Soon, Hibari pulled his weapons away.

"I'll let you herbivores off for now, I have better preys to kill off." With that, Hibari stepped away, his presence opening a large pathway among the crowd. He went straight to the disgruntled students and immediately began to thrash them.

The two students who were spared peered at each other curiously and Tsuna simply shrugged his shoulders, making his way towards class with Takeshi right behind. The baseball fan seemed to spring back to normal, looking cheery as always and had his arms up behind the back of his head. He was humming happily, looking proud of himself for a moment before finally glancing at the fields in the back. It was at this moment that he paused, looking a little hesitant, and then sighed. It was time for him to do what he needed to do. Takeshi knew deep within his heart that this decision was for the best and that he wouldn't regret it, but that didn't make it any easier.

"Tsuna, could you wait here for a moment? I'm going to be right back." With that, the taller teen wandered off towards the baseball field to alert everyone of his decision. There was no hesitation in his stance when he peered up at both Tsuna and the bracelet and his eyes were sharpened like he was doing something that would make him proud.

Tsuna didn't reply, but waited where he was at, watching momentarily from behind. He shook his head and turned away, not bothering to listen to the yelling that followed and the unconvinced baseball team that tried to understand Takeshi's choice. He tilted his head lightly when he felt Reborn move from his shoulder to his arms, settling into the grasp comfortably.

"Are you happy with this?" Reborn asked from the brunet's grasp, peering up into those honey-colored eyes.

"It's his choice. I will not stop him when his heart is already set on it," Tsuna spoke calmly, his eyes turning back to watch the disbelief and screaming from the baseball players on the field, some were even yelling at Takeshi accusingly. He could pick out his name amongst the shouts soon after as they indicted him of many things, but they were silenced by a sharp swing of Takeshi's sword. The effect was instantaneous and the team quickly shut up, mouths sealed as a thin line. The black-haired teen was saying something, but due to the distance, it was impossible to hear at their location. "But…I will admit that I am…happy that he decided to remain by my side."

The hitman blinked again, surprised to hear those words. It was probably the most open of a response he had ever gotten from the other. Smirking to himself, he tilted his fedora and allowed himself to nudge closer to Tsuna's soft body. The warmth that he felt was comforting. It was safer here after all. 'Hmm, now that I think about it, I have been getting attacked less often by his bad luck curse. Perhaps I'm finally making progress on my relationship with Tsuna.'


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by WhiteAngel128 and Persephone Crux 
> 
> Edited: 10/18/15

"Alright class, sit down. We have a transfer student from Italy coming in today to join us. I want everyone to give him a warm welcome," Nezu announced to the class, motioning to a silver-haired teen beside him. "His name is Gokudera Hayato."

Tsuna didn't look up from his spot, continuing to read his book as if it was more interesting. He didn't like interacting with people anyway, though the rain guardian was quickly becoming an exception since the brunet found himself talking more often with him than anyone else. It had originally started out as annoying, but he had grown used to the other. It was a slow process that seemed to be going at a steady course.

Takeshi had already fallen asleep on his desk, a thick textbook in front to prevent the teacher from seeing him. His sword was on the floor, lying innocently as if nothing was wrong with it being there. The rest of the class, however, seemed to jump in interest at the delinquent-looking classmate, swooning over the handsome looks and terrible attitude, well, the girls were. The boys were all fussing in the background, not happy about the thought of losing their girlfriends or crushes to a newcomer.

Reborn was not in his usual spot on Tsuna's desk and was instead on the ceiling, reading one of the brunet's many books. He peered up at the mention of the person he had called over, wondering how his student was going to react towards someone who wanted him dead. However, he knew he would need to be careful or else Gokudera would just end up like all the other bodies that had been piling up around them. It would not be good to lose a potential ally so soon simply because he pissed off the wrong person. That and hiding all the corpses was starting to get annoying.

Just as the hitman expected, Gokudera started making his way towards his student, fully intending on causing trouble. The bright green eyes paused in front of the brunet, looking him over, and poured out murderous thoughts in an aura form in order to seek a reaction, but he never got a response. Reborn expected it and Tsuna didn't even budge. Growling angrily and ignoring the calls from the teacher behind, the silver-haired teen decided to make an attempt of gaining the attention he desired and kicked the desk with enough force to toss it over. However, at the last moment, when his foot connected with the metal, it collapsed under the pressure and the top of the table came crumbling down onto said foot. There was a startling silence before chaos broke out.

Gokudera yelled out loud as his foot was crushed, immediately stringing out curses in Italian, and jumped back to dislodge his foot from the mess. He looked over his wound and tried to move his tender limb carefully, almost sighing in relief when he realized that it wasn't broken. Still, that didn't snap him away from the person that had caused his suffering. His green eyes were glaring, burning with fire, and stared at the brunet who had yet to move. Tsuna's arms remained outstretched with the book still in his hands and continued to read, clearly ignoring the other. He had yet to budge from his spot and everyone else held their breath in wait. Growling again, Gokudera continued to glare at the brunet for a few moments later before stepping away, not wanting to try anything else. He winced from the sharp pain that throbbed within his foot each time he took a step and, with some grumbling, he made his way to the infirmary to get his injury checked up on. The silver-haired teen knew he would need to be in tiptop condition for later if he ever wanted to confront Tsuna again.

Silence remained in the class, everyone wanting to ask the question about what happened, but when they saw who exactly the silver-haired teen had been after, they simply shook their heads in pity. Takeshi was still slumbering away, though he did wake up for a moment to see the commotion before going right back once he saw that the presence was gone. There was no need for him to take action when the commotion had already cleared up. Not bothered by the disappearance of his desk top, Tsuna got up slowly to move to the free one behind Takeshi and no one said a thing, leaving it at that as class started.

"Tsuna," Reborn hopped down from his spot on the ceiling and landed on top of the table with a silent tap. He peered up at his student and when those honey-colored settled onto him, he continued, "Don't kill Gokudera. He's not after anyone but you, alright? And if he does something stupid, I'll stop him."

The brunet blinked questionably before nodding his head. Soon after, he went back to his book. He didn't care much about anything at this moment but the story within the pages.

"Pst."

The brunet blinked when he heard the sound and lifted his head momentarily to see the teacher in front, back turned to write on the board. Tilting his head curiously, he looked around the area to see who had whispered to him until he spotted an orange-haired girl beside him. Tsuna recognized her as Sasagawa Kyoko, the female idol of Namamori middle school, and rotated his body slightly when he noticed her looking at him. "Yes?"

"Do you know Gokudera?" She asked softly, concern flooding her eyes. Her kindness towards everyone was known throughout the whole school, never judging anyone, but Tsuna never bothered to interact with her. She was just someone that was too bright for his nature. Still, he decided that she was a nice person, kind in personality, and one that was trustworthy.

"No, but he does." The brunet turned to the baby on his desk, pointing him out for her to see. He didn't want to mention that he had seen the silver-haired teen in another world.

Kyoko just smiled brightly at that, silently cooing at the adorable baby before her. "Aw, he's so cute. I thought he was a doll of some sort. Is he your little brother?"

"No, he's my…" Trailing off at that, Tsuna had to rethink his words. He was about to say tutor, but that just didn't sound right. There had been no tutoring so far, barely any. "Hmm, I'm not sure on what to call him."

Reborn huffed at that, somewhat dissatisfied at not being called by his identity. It was disappointing. "I'm your tutor, Tsuna."

"Doesn't feel like it." The brunet simply replied back, not batting an eyelash.

The female teen just giggled at the side, smiling at the two. "My, you guys must be really close."

"We're living together, of course we're close."

"Cursed-Tsuna, as much as I don't want to bother you nor care for you, I'd appreciate it if you can allow me to teach." Nezu grumbled from the front, holding a piece of chalk up in one hand, while the other was carrying his notes. The board was half filled with his writing and he didn't seem to be finishing up any time soon. Peering up at him, Tsuna watched in satisfaction when he saw his teacher shiver before going back to his book. Kyoko seemed to appear a little depressed at being interrupted and turned towards to her notebook, writing down her notes for class. It was a little disappointing that she had to be interrupted at the best part, but still, her interest on Tsuna's relationship with the baby only rose. Such a fascinating group.

* * *

"So, Tsuna, who was that person that attacked you today?" Takeshi grinned brightly as he carried both his sword and backpack together with ease in one hand and the other was wrapped tightly around Tsuna's shoulder. People still threw them some odd looks even though it's been weeks, but they were ignored as usual.

The silver-haired teen had come back during second period, looking grumpy as usual, but disregarded everyone around him. Gokudera had snarled at anyone who dared come close to him and even during lunch when the girls tried to ask him to join them in their little groups. Eventually, the teen had simply stormed out without a second thought, earning some disappointment from the girls and some relieved sighs from the males. However, at the same time, the females just fell further in love with the delinquent - the attitude was just drawing them in for more. It was almost endless in nature how people reacted.

"Just someone Reborn sent to me to most likely fight."

"Oh!" Takeshi just chuckled at that, relaxing slightly. His bento box of sushi was laid out before him, but even with the numerous pieces that were there, he still reached over to grab some of Tsuna's own. Reborn was eating with them, having his own lunch made by Nana herself, but that didn't stop some of the girls from cooing at the adorable sight of him eating with toddler-sized chopsticks. "I didn't think the baby would do such a thing. Is this for that mafia game?"

"Ah."

"Hmm, would it be alright if I follow?"

Tsuna placed a piece of his rolled egg into his mouth and chewed slowly. He raised an eyebrow at the fact that Takeshi wanted to follow and shrugged his shoulders, letting the other know he didn't really care all that much. At the bright grin the rain guardian gave, Tsuna took that distraction to take a crunchy sushi roll and popped it into his mouth. It was almost like a routine now, sharing food between them, one that no one seemed to mind.

Reborn sipped on his juice happily, nibbling gently on the straw. He expected the confrontation between Gokudera and Tsuna to occur at some time after school. That would mean he would have to make a distraction to prevent the disciplinary committee from stumbling onto the site and preventing his plan from going into action. What chaos shall he create…?

* * *

"So you're the one to become the tenth head of Vongola," Gokudera called out once Tsuna had left class on his own, holding his book against his chest with his bag behind his shoulder. Dull eyes peered over the other teen carefully before finally moving away, knowing better than to have a confrontation out in the open where everyone was in close proximity. It was a pain already as it was to not be able to do anything he wanted to but Reborn had requested it and stated that he would keep Gokudera in line from doing anything terrible. If that was true, he could deal with the new annoyance on his own later on. Letting out a grunt at the fact he was being ignored, the silver-haired teen followed behind, however, that didn't stop him from yelling though. "I refuse to accept it! You can't become Vongola Decimo."

Tsuna didn't reply to that, still moving around towards the back to gain some distance from the rest of the student population. He glanced back momentarily, spotting Reborn on the ceiling and then down at Takeshi, who had followed them out from behind and was trailing them. The rain guardian's eyes were slightly narrowed in worry and he had a hand already on his sword, ready to use it if necessary.

The moment Tsuna managed to arrive at a secure location, he watched as Gokudera tried to fight against him using dynamites, clearly showing little care to his surroundings. With a quick motion of his fingers, he quickly defused the fire, preventing the wicks from sizzling any further. Smoking Bomb, as Reborn had mentioned, made a click of his tongue and grabbed behind his school jacket for more of those explosives.

"Double Bomb!"

Tsuna simply did the same thing without any hesitation and glanced over towards Takeshi for a moment when he heard the black-haired teen moving. The other looked absolutely ready to come out and help, but with a small shake of his head, Tsuna prevented his friend from doing anything. Takeshi hesitated, wanting to be of some use, and held his weapon in hand as cautionary. Reborn helped calm the swordsman down by jumping from his spot and landing onto Takeshi's shoulder, effectively restraining him. With his rain guardian detained, Tsuna's honey-colored eyes went back to the newly thrown flying bombs and took out the wicks once more. He could see the frustration growing on the opposing teenager, who didn't understand how he had been disarming the fire before it managed to create the explosion Smoking Bomb desired.

Gokudera kept throwing more and more in his irritation, until eventually, his hands became overwhelmed by the amount of sticks. Tsuna didn't even dare try to count the amount and could only watch as one of the sticks slipped from the grip to fall down. Almost immediately, the silver-haired teen panicked at his screw-up and tried to salvage the situation by reaching out for it. However, that action backfired, making the rest of the dynamites fall as well. He sneered hatefully at himself, eyes wide, not believing that he had done something so stupid. He hadn't meant to-

Before he could finish his thoughts, the wicks to all the surrounding sticks went out. There was a silence, no hissing of flames, no footsteps, and Tsuna broke it by stepping forward towards the other. His honey-colored eyes examined the slumped shoulders and when he got close enough, he snatched the multiple cigarettes from Gokudera's mouth that the other had stabbed inside with the full intention of lighting multiple dynamites and tossed them to the ground. "Idiot." His foot stomped over the ends, squeezing them out, before turning around to head back home with Takeshi. His hands were inside his pockets, his book already placed into the safety of his backpack and he was about to reach his rain guardian when a yell suddenly broke out behind.

"I knew it! You're definitely worthy of being Juudaime!"

The brunet paused at that, turning around in confusion before rotating back towards Reborn for an explanation. The hitman smirked at that, glad that everything had gone along correctly to his plan. He peered up at his student and flicked his fedora upward, careful not to actually disturb Leon on the side. "Whenever a mafia member is defeated, they have to join the group."

Tsuna didn't respond and instead narrowed his eyes in annoyance. He did not like where this was going.

"Juudaime!"

And there it was, Tsuna immediately retorted though he kept his voice even. "Don't call me that. Just say my name instead."

This only resulted in Gokudera giving him a look of confusion. "But you're Juudaime!"

Takeshi rubbed the back of his head, amused at seeing his friend fighting back about his name, but that irritation that was building up in Tsuna was concerning. He didn't want someone to get hurt, especially this interesting newcomer. Stepping forward, he drew the attention towards himself. "Now, now, call Tsuna by his name. He's not Juudaime, but Tsuna."

Gokudera immediately turned to the baseball fan instead, growling out defensively. "Hey, don't call out Juudaime so freely. Go die!" He pulled out his dynamites to attack when Tsuna suddenly stepped between the two, glaring. The silver-haired teen flinched, feeling a shiver run down his spine by how cold those eyes looked, and almost wanting to shake at the sight. Those eyes promised death if he wasn't careful. Slowly, he pocketed his weapons away, taking notice that the brunet had lightened up his glare in return. Regardless, that didn't ease up the rage that was rolling off Tsuna.

'What an annoyance.' The brunet thought to himself as he stared down the other, all the while keeping his face straight. "Do not come near me, do not threaten those I'm close to, and go back home. I have no care towards the mafia rules, therefore, I will not apply it to you. You are free to go and do whatever you want."

Gokudera flinched at that, shrinking down as those words cut across him. He hadn't expected to hear something like that from the person he wanted to look up to. Reborn could only shake his head in disappointment, there went the chance for the storm guardian position. He knew that Tsuna was protective towards those he considered close like Nana and he had yet to see it shown for anyone else, except maybe Takeshi. However, the silver-haired teen just had to touch something he wasn't supposed to and that was his downfall. Now he'll have to do something to savage the situation before it completely crumbled.

"Gokudera," Reborn spoke once the two had left, heading home, and stared up at the depressed teen. He hoped his words would make Gokudera jump-start to earning his student's approval. "What Tsuna meant is that he's allowing you to do whatever you like, regardless of the rules that the mafia has set out for our kind of people, but if you threaten to harm anyone close to him, he'll attack you."

The silver-haired teen blinked, shoulders shrinking down further. He hadn't expected to be rejected and so soon.

"So that just means that you have to get onto his good side. Just tread carefully to not trigger him into thinking of you as an enemy."

Now that, Gokudera can do.

* * *

Tsuna almost twitched when he saw the new addition at his front door and was tempted to actually slam it on the two idiots. His eyes were slightly narrowed at the sight, wondering what the hell the other was thinking before silently sighing, stepping out. There, Gokudera was at his front entrance, leaning against the wall, and was smoking a cigarette while looking up at the sky. Takeshi was on the other side, giving a cheerful grin, and held his sword in one hand like usual. The moment the silver-haired teen spotted him, that so-called badass expression brightened up and he pulled away from the wall.

"Juudaime, good morning!"

The brunet actually twitched this time and made his way around Gokudera, clearly avoiding speaking to him. Reborn was settled on his student's shoulder, watching the scene with interest, but kept quiet.

Gokudera didn't deter at that greeting and diligently followed right behind like a little puppy. However, he couldn't stop growling when Takeshi came by and immediately wrapped an arm around Tsuna's shoulder to pull the other closer. He wanted to throw his explosives at the idiot, grumbling under his breath that no one should be allowed to touch his boss so causally, but then hesitated when Tsuna suddenly turned around to glare. He froze at the coldness. He didn't get it. Why did Juudaime want to be around that fool? It didn't make any sense.

"Hey, Gokudera, right?"

The silver-haired teen growled again, glaring at the other teen hatefully. He hadn't noticed that he had slackened down in his steps in his thoughts. "Don't use my name so lightly, idiot!" He turned to notice that Tsuna had gone ahead, walking away at a slow pace to allow the chance for them to catch up if needed.

"Come on, you want to be friends with Tsuna, right? You can't be calling him by whatever that name you've been using." Takeshi just smiled happily, hands behind his back with his sword at its usual place. He seemed unconcerned about the fact that he had been nicknamed and just took it in with wit.

"You-"

"Trust me, after all, I'm Tsuna's best friend. I don't mind if you want to get along with Tsuna, the more the merrier after all, but he's not the type of person who would want to be called by some title unless necessary. He's a person, though odd, he's still a person," Takeshi's smile got smaller. "And I really like him so…try to be a little more open."

Gokudera's shoulders seemed to sink at that.

"And call me Takeshi, I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other more often in this mafia game all of you like to play. I'll call you Hayato."

The other automatically started yelling back, cursing out Takeshi and calling him names. The baseball lover just grinned along, laughing wholeheartedly before placing an arm over Gokudera's shoulder to drag him closer. They picked up their pace, Smoking Bomb trying to unsuccessfully struggle out of the grasp, and caught up to Tsuna, Takeshi laughing loudly like normal.

'Guess there's a new addition in the morning I'll have to get used to.' Tsuna sighed at that, continuing on while listening to the yelling beside him.

Reborn, however, was smirking on Tsuna's shoulder, keeping himself close to watch everything as it progressed.

* * *

It was hard for Gokudera to change, he so badly wanted to do his own thing with how he believed his boss was supposed to be, and yet Takeshi the moron was right on certain matters. That fool was much closer to Tsuna and he was jealous of their closeness, wanting to get to the same distance. Still, Gokudera knew better and so he wanted to try. So after two days of Tsuna ignoring whatever attempt he tried to gain the teen's attention, it didn't matter if he offered to beat up the students, teachers or even do jobs, he finally gave in.

Jumping in front of the brunet, he watched in satisfaction at seeing those honey-colored eyes peering at him for once and swallowed. He would have to suck up some of his delusions if he wanted to get on Tsuna's good side. And so, he went with the first request that Takeshi had made of him.

"T-Tsuna-sama…" The words rolled off his tongue like it was foreign and he almost wanted to fall to the ground to beg for forgiveness for doing something so terrible. However, he kept himself still so that he could await his punishment.

The brunet blinked, freezing as his name was actually called out, and snapped his head back to peer at Gokudera with some surprise in his eyes. It took him a moment to realize what had happened and raised an eyebrow up in return. "Just call me Tsuna."

Gokudera shook his head rapidly, his shoulder-length hair fluttering around at the movement. "No, Tsuna-sama."

At that, Tsuna sighed. Well, at least it was an improvement from before. He watched as Takeshi grinned brightly, sitting next to him to eat lunch, and peered back at the silver-haired teen. The rain guardian gave a thumbs-up at Gokudera's little improvement, it was better than nothing.

Conceding, the brunet wiggled his nose and then sighed once more, looking at the desperate person at the side. Ah, he might as well say it this time instead of Takeshi if the nudge at his side wasn't saying anything. "Aright, Gokudera. Do you want to eat with us?" Motioning the other to join them, he watched as Gokudera's face lighted up so easily and had a small passing thought that Smoking Bomb appeared almost like…a puppy. Tsuna resisted groaning, 'Ahh…another one.'

Meanwhile Reborn had different thoughts, he mentally checked off his list for the storm guardian position.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by WhiteAngel128 and Persephone Crux
> 
> Edited: 10/18/15

Tsuna stared down at the fallen corpses, his eyes dull in color as he looked over each and every one of them carefully. They had been torn apart just right with the knife he was currently wielding, too lazy to use magic this time to finish them all off. There was no need when he had such simple opponents, it would be just a waste of energy. Regardless, he couldn't allow anyone to be left alive. After all, it was would be a pain in the ass to deal with later on in the future if someone were to spill his secrets. Reborn was on his shoulder like normal, keeping an eye out as well, but other than that, he kept quiet to watch his student move around the lifeless bodies, almost like this was just another job for the brunet.

Except, there was one in the far back that was still breathing. This assassin was a woman, coughing up blood because her wound had cut into one of her lungs, but other than that, she was still moving and still alive. Tsuna turned to her, eyes looking over the body carefully, and began to step forward, making his way over to make the killing move. That was until the woman began to speak, saying words to catch the other off guard.

"Such a terrible child you are." The woman growled, shifting back to get further away from the blade that was hanging in his hand, small droplets of blood dripping off as he stepped forward.

Tsuna didn't seem to care, until he felt something resonate within him at those words. He had heard them before…but where? He blinked in confusion before it finally clicked.

" _Such a useless child."_

" _How could I have given birth to such a person?"_

The brunet's eyes widened at that one moment and gasped, freezing in his movements. It was clear that the two assassins in the room had noticed the change, the wounded one immediately taking advantage of the situation to get a better reaction. She edged on, hoping to distract the child before her so that she could make an attempt to get away. However, that was short-lived only for a moment since the second she reopened her mouth to speak again, a scream broke out. Tsuna had stabbed the end of the knife into her shoulder, dragging the end down deeper into her body. He was grinding his teeth together and was glaring at the other full of hatred.

"You made me remember something I didn't want to," Tsuna whispered and ripped the blade away, tearing out the muscle and blood vessels within. He ignored the yelling and the curses, raising his arm up again, this time slicing through an arm. More blood, more screams, but he was used to that already. It was something he always heard anyway, it was nothing new. Tsuna was barely aware of the shift on his shoulder, barely aware that Reborn was still on him. "It's been a long time since I've heard that phrase, I'll make you pay for that. Tell me," He brought the end of the blade underneath the woman's chin, lifting it up so that he could stare into her fear-filled eyes. "Do you know how to pull someone's organs out without entirely killing them?"

There was a shaky gasp and some whimpering.

"I do, I still remember how to do it perfectly. And since there are a couple of druggies around here, I bet I can get the dosage needed for the procedure." Tsuna simply grinned, enjoying the terror that was beginning to show within the woman's eyes. "Tell me, what should I pull out first? Your spine? Your kidneys? Well?"

The woman screamed at that.

* * *

Reborn tossed and turned on his little bed, he clearly hadn't expected Tsuna to go berserk of all things during the attack last night. He had always viewed the brunet as someone calm, but that incident, he shook his head at it. The woman had been tortured before Tsuna had finally allowed her to die. Something had triggered the episode, but what?

'It was probably that phrase. It's the only thing I can think of. But that doesn't connect with anything that's current with Tsuna's information. It must have been something in the past that came back to him. Damn, more investigating to do.' Reborn grumbled to himself, peering down at the sleeping brunet, who looked so peaceful despite the fact that he had just murdered someone so violently just hours ago. He had wondered for a while how the police hadn't caught on all these years with the numerous bodies that popped up in that area, but then again, Tsuna was great at covering his tracks and changing his style so he couldn't be connected. Other times, if the bodies were never found, they would just rot, unaware by anyone else.

Still, that just left more mysteries about his student that needed to be unraveled. Regardless, he was getting nowhere if he kept thinking like this and decided that it might be best to just shut his eyes for some sleep. Mentally nodding, he agreed to himself that that was for the best.

* * *

"Hey, Tsuna! Wake up!"

The brunet twitched in irritation and buried himself further into his blankets in an attempt to get away, feeling nice and warm within the covers. It was almost like a sin to move around. Either way, it was the weekend and there was no reason to get up early for anything and like hell he was going to waste such precious sleep for something he didn't need to know about. Letting out a content sigh when he heard nothing but silence, he let himself start to drift back asleep, pulling the sheets closer together…except the voice came back.

"Come on, Tsuna. It's a Saturday, we should be out playing!" There was some laughter soon after and then a shove onto his back. The brunet rocked back and forth at the movement, his head swaying slightly from it. This seemed to wake Tsuna up a little more before he tried to ignore everything again when it stopped. He refused to give into whoever's whim, but when the shove came again and again, he was getting tempted to blast some magic towards the idiot. Resisting that said temptation, he made a grumbling sound and rolled around under the covers to glare at the person who dared to disturb his slumber. Who he saw made him pause for a moment. That short black hair and bright grin could only belong to one person, Takeshi. The baseball fan chuckled. "Let's go to the Arcade!"

Tsuna stared at the other for a few moments before snapping an angry 'No'. With that, he rolled back around, noticing that his clock stated that it was barely ten in the morning.

"Aw, come on Tsuna, it'll be fun! You can't sleep in all day."

"I can try."

Takeshi pouted and placed his hands onto his hips in frustration. This was going to be tougher than he thought. Smirking, he reached over and snaked his arms around the petite body before yanking back roughly, using his physical strength against the other. Tsuna blinked as he was shoved off the bed and was barely being held by the baseball lover in the air, the covers falling off his body.

It only took him a second to realize what had happened and he narrowed his eyebrows in response. "Put me down."

"Only if you agree to come with me!"

"No."

"Then I'm not going to put you down. I'm taking you with me whether you like it or not."

Tsuna twitched and was now glaring, but that was short-lived as he was lifted up over Takeshi's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He wasn't yelling like a fool, but he did raise his hand up, clenching his fingers tightly together into a fist, still concentrating even as the other tried to carry him out of his room. With one swift movement, he banged his hand directly over a spot on the spine and listened to Takeshi as he made a small cry, collapsing to the floor from the sudden shock. Tsuna, reacting quickly, landed onto the floor on his feet and made a huff, trying to make his way back to bed.

However, he didn't get very far before his bedroom door slammed open. "Tsuna-sama! Are you alright?" Gokudera came rushing in, looking a little panicky over the scene, and blinked when he stared into Tsuna's bored eyes. He saw a flash of irritation within those honey-colored orbs, but ignored it. "I heard that the idiot came in here. He didn't wake you up, did he, Tsuna-sama?"

The brunet simply stared back and sighed. "He did and now you've done it, too."

At that, the silver-haired teen gave a horrified expression and was about to say something when Takeshi stood up, rubbing his back with a sharp wince to his face. "Ow, Tsuna, that really hurts," He managed to straighten himself out before turning back to the brunet. "Well, since Hayato is here," He ignored the yelling from the said person, grinning like normal. "Let's all go to the Arcade."

Tsuna peered between the two before sighing again, nodding his head to just get this damn thing done and over with. His clothes were hanging down his shoulders, threatening to fall off at any moment, and he stretched his arms in front him, listening to the sounds of cracking of his joints. "Fine, just give me a moment to change."

Giving a smile of victory, Takeshi wrapped an arm around Gokudera's shoulders, bringing the other closer. "And you're coming with us. The more the merrier after all!"

Tsuna, despite walking away to change, could listen from the background as the two continued to yell vividly, well, Gokudera was. He glanced around his room momentarily, wondering where Reborn had gone to, but didn't see him anywhere. Shrugging his shoulders, he went back to his task at hand.

* * *

The arcade had been alright, Tsuna decided, watching as his two companions tried to play the multiple games with what limited pocket money they had on hand. Sometime during it, Gokudera had become enraged towards the black-haired teen and demanded a duel on one of the games. He randomly pointed towards something to use as their system, Takeshi agreeing to it, and his finger ended up at what looked like a racing simulator. And the duel commenced. Except Tsuna wasn't really watching, he had wandered away eventually while the two were so engulfed in their fun to do something else, messing with the other machines in the area to give himself some entertainment.

Regardless, he didn't feel all that interested with anything in the area, knowing he could probably use a little bit of power to help himself win. It would be considered cheating, but whatever, he never cared much. Wandering about some more, he went towards the exchange counter where one could trade tickets that were won from the machines for prizes. His eyes looked up and down the numerous rows out of boredom until it settled onto something at the far right corner.

'Is that…' Tsuna stared at the little doll, no, not a doll. He sighed, running a hand through his hair and stared at the _person_. "Reborn."

"Oh, you found me," The hitman smirked from his spot and tilted his head slightly to make himself more apparent among the other dolls along the row. The cashier below was distracted by other customers, not noticing anything, which gave the two plenty of time to speak. Reborn was dressed in an odd costume that consisted of him in what seemed like a space suit, but it was bright yellow instead of the normal white. He flicked up the shield of the helmet and chuckled from his position, looking down at the brunet in amusement. "Hmm, why don't you try and win me?"

"Not interested."

Reborn didn't look offended by the response and smirked again. "I'll let you skip school on Monday. No resistance from me."

Now that made Tsuna pause, raising an eyebrow up, and stared at his supposed teacher. "Oh? And why are you so keen on making me play the games?" Reborn didn't respond this time, but the brunet had already figured out the other's plot. It was too obvious. The hitman was taking any chance to see Tsuna's abilities in action. Shrugging his shoulders, the brunet sighed and then nodded his head. "Fine, I'll do it, but you better hold your end of the deal."

With that, he reached into his pocket to take out a bill and placed it into the machine for some game coins. Quickly he went to work, going to the few gaming machines that would make him earn the most tickets. There was the ball rolling, the one where he had to place a coin inside to see if it would knock off other coins, and many others. Using his abilities, he made sure that the balls would hit the largest number or that the rows would line up just right.

Gokudera and Takeshi soon came by to watch him win game after game since their little duel had ended up as a tie, the printing of the tickets starting to get overwhelming. Without any hesitation, they handed over their extra coins for Tsuna to use, enjoying the sight of seeing their friend and boss play instead of standing around or reading. Tsuna sighed as he folded the tickets up carefully, trying to finish up the rest of his coins so that he could get everything done and over with. Once the last coin went into the mechanism, he stuffed his winnings all into a ticket machine to count all his tickets and he could see the shocked expressions of his two companions beside him from the reflection of the glass.

"Yo, Tsuna! That's really impressive!" Takeshi patted his friend on the back, grinning widely at the sight of the rising number. "You're really good at these things."

"As expected of Tsuna-sama! You're amazing!" Gokudera was beaming, looking as if he'd expected nothing but the best.

The shortest of the group just sighed and grabbed the printed piece of paper that listed his total before heading back to the exchange counter. He handed it over, ignoring the expression from the receptionist, and pointed up towards Reborn. The baby simply jumped down into Tsuna's arms, completely used to being carried now, and peered up at the other with a smirk. The cashier was a little flabbergasted at the sudden movement of what was a doll in his eyes, but didn't say anything, keeping quiet about the whole situation.

Tsuna shook his head at the baby and was about to turn away from the counter when the person there called out. "Um, sir, you still have six hundred and twenty-one tickets left, that doll was only a hundred. What else would you like to have?"

That made him go quiet and peered up at the wall curiously before shrugging his shoulders. He didn't really want anything honestly, he hadn't even wanted to play in the first place. Turning to Reborn, he spoke, "Do you want anything?"

The hitman blinked. "What? You don't want to choose?"

"I don't want anything. Nothing's really interesting."

Reborn smirked, but he too shook his head at that. Those were all childish toys and he didn't play with those unless he was messing with someone. He remained in the warm hold, enjoying it immensely, and tried to bury himself further into the clothes after quickly changing out of his outfit with a quick tug at the side. The spacesuit had ripped off and was tossed into a trashcan not too far away.

Tsuna shrugged his shoulders once more and turned towards the other two. "What about you two? Anything you want?"

At the grins he was rewarded, he could only watch as his two friends began to argue over who gets what and their share of the winnings. He raised an eyebrow at the sight in amusement, his lips twitching slightly.

* * *

Reborn felt like humming to himself as he looked out the window, sitting on top of a table in a fast food restaurant. It was quite a peaceful day as if there was nothing wrong with the world and that everything was just perfect. He, of course, knew better, but that feeling didn't leave him and his tiny little body. Still, the peacefulness of his tutor life so far, despite all the chaos Tsuna had given him and he had gotten in return, was nice compared to the dark existence he had lived in for such a long time. There was so little evil among the town, the residents clearly innocent, and it just made Reborn want to relax.

When he felt the table shift at the weight of someone sitting down on the other side, he twisted his head slightly back to see the rain and storm guardians settling into their seats, both with a tray in front. They had what would be considered a meal in the fast food place that was at a cheap price and he turned around to pay attention back to the rest of the surrounding atmosphere. There were plenty of children, teenagers, and parents all around, many simply chattering among each other. The younger ones were playing in another room where the slides were, screaming about one thing or another.

When he felt another shift, he knew it could only belong to his student and this time stepped closer. He blinked and then smirked, moving forward to steal some fries off the tray the moment it was placed down. Tsuna didn't bat an eyelash at the obvious thief and tilted the little container that held the hot potato sticks towards Reborn as an offering. The hitman mentally grumbled, knowing that he wasn't going to get a reaction out of the brunet, but regardless, took the invitation for free food. Though he didn't view these sorts of places as good food for the human body, the fries were delicious despite being overly salted and greasy.

Tsuna watched as the baby continued to munch happily on the fries before pushing a lidded cup towards him. Reborn peered at it momentarily, recognizing the aroma from it as coffee, and looked up curiously. "It's not the best, but it's better than nothing."

"Ah, thanks," The hitman took the steaming hot drink and sipped on it gently, tasting it. As the brunet had stated, it wasn't the best, just decent if not a little watered down. Nothing could beat Italian coffee after all. His eyes peered towards Tsuna, who was sipping on what appeared to be iced coffee. "I thought you didn't drink coffee."

"The iced coffee here is good and I do drink coffee, just not as often as you do." He took another sip before tilting the container to offer. Reborn eyed the straw carefully before finally deciding to take the chance. The cold yet familiar taste of coffee that was a somewhat sweet ran down his throat with a little hint of…what… "Hazelnut."

The hitman blinked. "So it's hazelnut-flavored iced coffee?" When Tsuna nodded his head, Reborn hummed to himself as if deciding something. "It's good." He took a few more fries to munch on, listening to the two guardians converse from the side. Tsuna remained quiet, silently sipping on his drink, not bothered that the baby was eating everything off his tray. Even the little sandwich he had bought had been split for Reborn to take.

* * *

Within a week, Gokudera was beginning to get used to his new boss, enjoying the quiet company the brunet offered. There had been a few times he had wanted Tsuna to speak up on his thoughts, but it seemed that the talkative Takeshi more than made up for the lack of sound. The baseball fan, from what he'd investigated on the idiot, was always laughing and goofing around, following Tsuna like he was some sort of idol. It was annoying, but if his boss was alright with it, then he would remain quiet. Still, he was quite glad that Tsuna was getting used to his company, never caring much on when he randomly showed up at his doorstep, or when he followed him to Takesushi. Gokudera couldn't help but grow used to the civilian life even with the chaos Reborn tried to create in return.

School was the same anywhere he went and he didn't hesitate to show his genius mind against the teachers, who didn't react to him as well. There was also those stupid fangirls who liked to bother him, later realizing that Takeshi had the same problem, and often had to escape together to get away. The two popular teens didn't realize it, but they hadn't spotted the amusement in Tsuna's eyes as he watched them run back and forth from the fans.

Still, other than that, he had almost forgotten during his time he had been with Tsuna that he was Smoking Bomb, part of the mafia with terrible family relations. His dynamites hadn't been used as often except for the occasional fight with some gangsters who decided to mess with him on his way home and were simply starting to hold him down from the excessive number he held on his body. But he never got rid of them; one could ever be caught unguarded in the dark world. Nevertheless, despite listening to the rumors and the gossip from his classmates, he didn't exactly see how Tsuna could be nicknamed Cursed-Tsuna and be ostracized from everyone. No team during P.E. wanted him on since the brunet didn't do anything but read and he had yet to see any of the so-called curses in effect. It was confusing and he had asked Reborn a couple of times whenever Tsuna wasn't around for answers, but got nothing more than a simple 'You'll see'.

Today, of course, was no different from the usual except that it was starting to storm outside. Apparently, the news had stated that a small tropical storm was heading their way, nothing terrible, and his tiny apartment would hold no problem. He was lucky that he had some money to pay for his bills, but even he knew that it was starting to get low and he would need to get a job soon to be able to continue his payments. Reborn chipped in here and there, stating that he had too much in the first place, and he managed to get Vongola to give a helping hand. However, Gokudera didn't want to feel indebted to Vongola like that. It wasn't a good feeling to have despite knowing he'll be working for them soon. Still, if it meant that he could stay around Tsuna with no problems, then he could deal with it for the time being.

"It looks like it's going to rain soon." Takeshi commented from the side during lunch, munching on his sushi, and took a few momentary glances outside.

"It said ninety percent on the news so of course it's going to rain. We're supposed to watch out for flash flooding though. Tsuna-sama, I'll walk you home today and make sure you get back safely." Gokudera looked at his boss readily, wanting nothing more than to be useful, to be accepted.

Tsuna tilted his head slightly, Reborn settled comfortably on his lap, and then shook his head. "No, there is no need. It should be the other way around."

"Huh?"

Even Takeshi looked a little confused at that, why would Gokudera need to be the one to worry about? That was a little odd.

"Because, you know," Tsuna suddenly spoke as he looked up at the sky through the windows as if searching for something that was hidden to the human eye. His voice was soft and there was a flash of lightning outside, flooding the room in a momentary blinding light. The lights flickered at the blast and the thunder that came afterwards rattled in the windows and floor. Some of the classmates let out a squeak, almost dropping their utensils in shock. It still wasn't raining despite the dark heavy clouds that covered everything in view, no sign of that bright blue in sight. "Gloomy skies like this forebode darkness."

The effect of his words seemed to send a shiver down Takeshi's spine, who had dropped his chopsticks in alarm, and was barely aware of them clattering over the table with his eyes wide. The rain guardian knew those words - he had heard them repeating in his memories multiple times in the past after all. Reborn seemed curious as well, knowing the exact meaning from what he had heard last time when the two had talked about their past relationship.

Gokudera, of course, wasn't informed and peered at three in confusion, eyebrows narrowed slightly. He was out of the loop, he knew that, but didn't say anything. Instead, he just grinned, waving his hand before his face. "No, no, there's no need for you to do that for me. I'll be fine, it's just a little bit of rain."

Tsuna continued to stare, never letting up. "It's not the rain I'm worried about, but what's hiding in it."

The silver-haired teen still didn't get it and instead continued to eat, ignoring the concerned glance from Takeshi. Tsuna just gave a short stare before going back to his book, already finished eating his lunch, and had put everything away.

* * *

Gokudera didn't get why Takeshi, the idiot, decided to follow him closely, more so than before. It was weird, but he couldn't help but notice the momentary glances from his boss as well. They were concerned, but why? He didn't understand and shrugged his shoulders to push the thought away. Whatever it was, he could handle it. He was called Smoking Bomb for a reason after all.

Despite that, he had to actually perform some maneuvers to get away from everyone during class. School wasn't over yet, but he needed some additional cigarettes since he had just run out today and he wanted to get some before the stores closed down early from the weather. He didn't tell anyone, managing to slip past the disciplinary committee, and had fully expected to be back to school before the bell rang to walk his beloved boss home despite the other not wanting it.

Of course, things just don't work the way it was meant to.

Just as Gokudera had stepped out the convenience store, a few new packs tucked into his jacket, he peered up to see some black cars parked on the side still running. Ignoring it for now, he twisted to the opposite side to make his way back to school, hands inside his pockets, and tried to avoid looking back at the same cars that were now following slowly behind. The streets were nearly empty with a few people here and there, but other than that, Gokudera was all alone. Everyone was either boarding up their homes just in case or staying inside. No one wanted to go out in such threatening weather. Luckily for the silver-haired teen, it had yet to rain, but with the constant flashing of lightning and sounds of thunder, that might not last much longer.

Just as he was halfway to the school, he noticed through the reflection of a store window that one of the cars was rolling down its tinted window. However, the moment a barrel of a gun slipped out pointing towards him, Gokudera cursed vividly in the back of his mind, shooting off to get out of the open as quickly as possible. He dodged the bullets that poured out, running into a back alley for cover before jumping over the fence that cut it off from the other side. He ran as quickly as possible, now moving away from the school to prevent getting innocents and his boss involved.

'Shit! Just who are these people?!' His bright green eyes examined over the crest that was on the cars, trying to recognize it and connect it with the multiple famiglias he had met or read about. However, he couldn't link anything together and continued to run to gain some distance from his enemies. Before long, he could hear the men trying to follow him from behind, keeping up with his fast pace, and ran into an abandoned building to try and hide. Heading up the stairs, he took a momentary glance out the windows from the side and spotted one of the men just stepping out of the car. 'Ah, shit! It's him!'

The man didn't look anything important from the way he was dressed, from the shorts to the Hawaiian button-up shirt. However, by the way the other mob members were acting around him, it was clear he was the boss of the group. Gokudera only recognized him as a man he had met a week ago on the way home. Due to some fusses with a few of the groupies, he had thrown his dynamites out, effectively destroying ten cars and setting two buildings that belonged to the men on fire. Not only that, the disciplinary committee got on their sorry asses with all the chaos that was created. To say they were angry was most likely an understatement.

'Guess saying sorry now would be stupid, huh?' Hayato mentally grumbled and continued to run up the stairs, not noticing that he wasn't being followed from behind any longer. Slamming open the door to what looked like a large open living room, he cautiously stepped in just as the doors on the other side followed suit. He cursed wildly.

The boss stepped in soon after, grinning, along with a couple other men all holding up automatic weapons. "So you're the one that caused the incident a few days ago. Do you know how much you caused us, boy, or should I say, Smoking Bomb?"

Gokudera sneered, not bothering to retort to that comment, and instead looked around the room for places to escape at. Going back down the stairs was out, forward was obviously not possible, so that only left the window…and a five-storey drop. Reaching into his jacket, he got ready to fight, knowing he didn't have a choice.

"So, this is Smoking Bomb, he's just a kid." One of the men spoke in disbelief, but kept his gun up just in case.

"Don't underestimate him," The boss reprimanded. "He's holding explosives that could kill us all if we're not careful."

"Right."

Gokudera grumbled under his breath, however, he could only grin at that momentary distraction and tossed his dynamites out. Within seconds, there was a huge explosion and yells from the other side began. It gave enough of a smoke screen for Gokudera to move around, going in to plant more bombs directly on the idiots. However, just as he was about to make his way out, the men began randomly shooting.

'Dammit!' Taking cover on the ground, he listened to the yelling and loud cracks of more of his dynamites going off. When everything went silent, he slowly stood up. The area was still covered in smoke and he quickly made his way towards one of the many exits in the building, needing to escape. His footsteps were quiet, watching where he stepped just in case, and just as he was about to reach the door, the wooden boards under his feet creaked. 'Shit!'

"Over there, men!" Guns went off and Gokudera ran for his life, but not before one of the bullets managed to lodge itself into his calf. He sneered painfully, but continued on, not wanting to stay behind when the smoke cleared. He grabbed onto the handle, watching out for any stray bullets, and pulled himself out of the fray. Taking a deep breath, he leaned against the wall, protected from the weapons, and slowly made his crawl down the steps. With each step he took, he winced, watching as more blood began to soak through his pants and down. Apparently, the bullet had gotten him pretty good, probably in an artery, and was already limiting his movement. The pain was so engulfing he had barely noticed the movement behind.

"Don't move."

Gokudera immediately froze, only barely reaching the descent of the steps, and turned slightly to peer at the boss who was holding out his gun towards him. He growled under his breath and wondered in the back of his mind at how idiotic he looked to the mafioso's eyes.

"I'm not going to let you get away this time. You _will_ pay for all the trouble you've given me."

"Damn…" Gokudera was ready for that bullet, reaching for his extra explosives to give himself a distraction.

" _You're such an idiot_." An unfamiliar voice spoke from behind and soon a knife stabbed into the man's back, the end just appearing out on the other side. The boss let out a choked gasp, coughing, with eyes wide in shock. Blood began to pour down the clothes, the enemy squirming at the wound. Spiky brown hair appeared from the side and Tsuna yanked the blade back, watching as the body stumbled in pain. However, the brunet wasn't done yet and he stepped forward, shoving the dying boss over the railings of the stairs, letting him fall to his doom five floors below.

Gokudera didn't look, but that distinctive splatter below was enough to alert him of how the body most likely appeared now. His bright green eyes turned back to the teenager he wanted to follow for the rest of his life. "Tsuna…sama?"

"Didn't I tell you to watch out?" The brunet stepped closer, grasping Gokudera's arm, and pulled him closer, heading back into the main room. The silver-haired teen could only stare in amazement behind, shocked that Tsuna of all people would appear at his need, and then into the room. There, Takeshi, the person he thought of as an idiot, was fighting all the men off with ease, sword drawn out. The baseball fan was zooming around the room quickly, effectively knocking the enemies out with one fail swoop with the dull end of the blade. When one of the men turned their gun towards their way, Tsuna reacted by throwing his knife, letting it dig into the chest, an instant kill.

"T-Takeshi, Tsuna-sama." Gokudera stared at the two in wonder, watching as the rain and sky guardians took down everyone around. Once it became silent, he was placed to the side of the wall, looking over the two.

"You're very lucky Tsuna noticed you leaving the school grounds," Gokudera turned to the squeaky voice beside him, seeing Reborn sipping on a cup of espresso without a care in the world. "If he hadn't, things might have been different."

"A-Ah…" Smoking Bomb felt his shoulders falling at that fact. He was weak, weaker than the others, and that hurt. He wanted to be strong, strong enough to be useful to his boss. But he guessed that that was out of the question. However, a sharp smack to his forehead knocked him out of his depressing state. He peered up at Tsuna curiously, Takeshi close by with his sword still drawn out, and then to the person that had hit him. It was Reborn, holding a morphed Leon that looked like it was in a shape of a hammer.

"You're still an idiot," Tsuna reached down towards the injured leg and checked for the bullet that could possibly still be inside. Apparently, it had went through which just made his job much easier. His fingers went around the edges of the wound before letting the familiar course of healing magic escape from the tips. Slowly, the surrounding blood retracted and the skin stitched itself back together, leaving no evidence of what had just happened expect for the redness. Gokudera watched in surprise, not sure on what had just happened, his eyes wide. "There, I've healed it. Now get up, we need to get out of here."

"T-Tsuna-sama," Gokudera did as he was told, testing his limb out before nodding happily to himself. There was no pain, no pull of the muscles - it was perfect. "T-Thanks."

"It's fine. Let's just get out of here for now and head back to my place. You'll most likely have questions," Tsuna's honey-colored eyes were still dull and he leaned over to lift the baby up into his arms. Reborn had already finished his drink and was now settling happily into the warm grasp, content with his situation. "Next time, listen to my warning before doing something stupid again."

"R-Right, whatever you say, Tsuna-sama." The silver-haired teen could only grin to himself, thinking that this was where he wanted to be. This boss seemed to actually care about him and his condition and that was as good as it could get. He was tired of being ignored, of being looked down upon, and he knew that this was his best chance of succeeding in what he desperately desired.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by WhiteAngel128 and Persephone Crux
> 
> Edited: 10/18/15

The explanation to Gokudera didn't take as long as Takeshi simply because the silver-haired teen had absorbed everything in without a question, that, and he was already part of the mafia world. Tsuna noticed about halfway that there was an odd glitter into those eyes that continued to grow, but ignored it for the time being. He didn't want to be concerned about something so minor when there were more important things to do. Still, with the new-found information, it only seemed to make Gokudera want to follow him around even more like a dog. It was odd, but Tsuna didn't complain, he never did, and just sighed some more. Though, Tsuna swore he heard the whispers of "UMA" under the storm guardian's lips and raised an eyebrow at it before shaking his head. However, it was starting to get annoying, the way Gokudera seemed to stare.

Nana had, of course, taken the delinquent in quickly, cooing over the thought of adding another person to the household. The last time Gokudera had come over for the arcade, he had deceptively slipped in, not wanting to get caught by anyone else. It wasn't until later on when Tsuna figured out that Reborn had apparently been the one to alert the silver-haired teen of Takeshi's intentions. Almost immediately, the mother of the household began to make dinner for all five people and was singing and humming away in the kitchen. It was too clear that she was enjoying the added guests.

The storm outside didn't disappear, just beginning to rain down during the middle of the night after the incident, and made a stop in Namimori instead of moving on like it was supposed to. Streets began to flood quickly within that period, but it wasn't concerning to Tsuna. Instead, he took enjoyment in the weather since it made everything quiet for a while. There were breaks here and there, but never once did the sun reveal itself from behind the dark gray clouds.

Tsuna sighed silently to himself, closing his eyes for a moment. It had been quite some time since he'd been alone. The past two days had been noisy at home with the new additions to the household, both Gokudera and Takeshi coming by more often to visit and hang around. And as much as he could bear with the annoyance, he could only handle so much noise. So today, after escaping and canceling everything, he went into the stormy weather for a break and disappeared into the rain, wandering about the town without an umbrella to protect himself. He ignored the looks he got from the people and continued on, never once stopping to get shelter. Eventually, he hid under a tree in a park that was flooding in certain areas and peered up curiously when he saw the gray skies thundering ominously. Droplets were already slipping through the cracks in the leaves and he momentarily wondered how everyone was reacting to his disappearance.

He blinked when one droplet hit him on the forehead, taking him away from his thoughts. He remained there, folding his legs against his body so that he could hug them together. Soon after he did that, it began to pour down like the heavens had sprung a leak and he could feel the drops pounding onto his body. His clothes were already completely drenched and his hair was sticking to his face like glue, refusing to move. Despite all of that, he remained outside in the weather, comfortable where he was at. The tree he was under, of course, offered little protection and the leaves no doubt gave way to the heaviness of the rain.

Regardless, it was peaceful, no one was around to bother him, no one spared him a glance, and so he remained where he was at deep within his thoughts. His eyes watched as droplets continued to fall all around him, some remaining attached to the leaves of the grass, making those little green strips bounce at the weight. A few people would walk by every ten to twenty minutes, umbrellas covering their heads, preventing him from seeing their features and, in turn, him. Tsuna simply remained to the side, unseen by anyone else, and continued to watch the world go by.

"What are you doing?" A familiar squeaky voice broke the brunet's thoughts, his large honey-colored eyes turning to the baby before him. Reborn stood there with one hand on his hip and the other holding up a green umbrella, two yellow eyes on it peering out towards him. The Arcobaleno was mostly dry except for his feet where the water had a tendency to splash onto him when it hit the ground. It was clear that the earth was completely saturated with water by the way his feet were beginning to sink into the dirt.

Dark eyes were glaring out at him and yet Tsuna remained where he was at. The brunet leaned further back against the bark. "I'm resting…"

A small eyebrow rose at the response and Reborn shifted closer, careful to watch his step, stopping right in front of his student. He blinked once before speaking, "It's raining, go home. You'll get sick at this rate."

Tsuna didn't answer and lifted his head further back against the tree that was behind. His eyes stared up at the leaves above, watching as water flowed through the sections in-between. There was no wind, just the sounds of rain hitting whatever it touched, and it continued to slam onto his body without a care.

Reborn stopped an inch before the teen and couldn't help but peer up to see what was so interesting about the leaves. He didn't get it and turned back to the brunet with Leon still above his head. Slowly, Tsuna rolled his head to his supposed tutor and reached forward without any hesitation, plucking the hitman up from his spot. The grasp was soft, not too tight, and soon the baby found himself settled onto the brunet's lap, looking out towards the streets like Tsuna had been doing. The arms were wrapped firmly around him, keeping him warm through physical touch, and despite Reborn wanting to slip out to force them both back indoors, he couldn't. The baby wiggled his tiny nose and buried himself further into the arms, watching as the rain continued to fall down. Soon, Tsuna was moving again and pulled down at Leon, letting the umbrella turn back into a lizard, and placed the little creature onto Reborn's shoulder. Now that there was no protection, the rain fell onto the baby, soaking through his black suit and fedora. The water curved around the frame of his hat before falling and Reborn tilted his head slightly as he looked up at Tsuna, waiting for him to speak. But no words were spoken - only silence as time went on.

"There's an old saying that rain can wash away anything," The brunet finally spoke after five minutes, his voice soft, and yet he kept that monotonous expression. His bangs were clinging to the sides of his face, flattening the normally spiky locks. "It can cleanse the body and can bring about change in the right moment."

Reborn listened, he wasn't sure what Tsuna was going on about exactly, but he listened regardless. It was unusual for the brunet to act like this and it sparked his curiosity.

"It also feels good as it hits you and likes to lull one to sleep."

The hitman flicked his fedora up to get a better look at his student, ignoring the spray of water he did in that one move. "What do you mean?"

"The feeling of somnolence." Tsuna simply stated, letting the raindrops hit his face and fall down as if he was crying. Regardless, the two knew better, the brunet was just staring. After what seemed like an hour, which was only about another five to ten minutes, Tsuna finally lifted Reborn further up into his arms and stood from his spot. His body was heavy from the excess water that had been collecting and his shoes made squishing sounds at each step he took. Luckily, it wasn't cold outside since it was summer and slowly, the two made their way back home. They ignored the odd looks of others and Reborn remained where he was at, twirling a curl of his that was slightly wet in curiosity. His black eyes remained on his student, watching for any break in the expression and yet still saw nothing.

He wondered if this would be a normal occurrence. Reborn hoped not.

* * *

"Oh dear! You're all wet! Go, take a shower immediately, you two must be freezing!" Nana yelled the moment the two returned home, fretting over them the moment they opened the door. She ignored the water that was all over the floor and instead rushed the two up the stairs to the bathroom. Immediately, she went around, gathering towels, running the water to give it time to turn hot, and forced the two to strip down. The two remained where they were at and instead watched as Nana continued to run around the house. A few moments later, hot steam began appearing above the curtains, alerting everyone that it was ready, and she opened the curtains with a sharp snap, pointing towards the shower with an angry expression. "Now, get in together. No arguing. At this rate, both of you will catch a cold."

Tsuna and Reborn peered at each other curiously, blinking, before the brunet shrugged his shoulders to show he didn't care, and stepped into the shower. His clothes were already on the floor, being picked up by Nana to get them dried and she looked at Reborn with expectations.

"You too, Reborn. You're very young, catching a cold at that age will be bad for you." The female huffed, motioning the baby to join her son in the shower. The hitman looked a little hesitant, but gave in after a while, jumping in, knowing that both of them were mostly naked. Tsuna had taken the decency to wrap a towel around his waist to cover his nudity, the hitman doing the same, and was lying on the floor of the bathtub with the warm water on full blast above. Reborn grinned to himself and jumped over onto his student's stomach, ignoring the sensation of his normally spiky hair being flattened. There was some movement on the other side of the curtains before Nana closed the door, leaving them alone again.

"So, why did you agree to tutor me?" Tsuna spoke up from where he was at, his eyes closed shut as if sleeping, and had his legs curled to up with his body tilted slightly to the side.

The hitman placed his hands onto his hips as he shifted his position. "Didn't I tell you? It was a favor and a job."

"Yes, but you could have denied it."

Reborn didn't answer that and sat down onto the warm skin below him, staring with his large onyx eyes. The hot water pounded at his back and droplets of it were dripping down the strands of hair that had fallen into his face.

"Don't fall asleep." The hitman finally stated, hopping down so that he was beside Tsuna's hair, on the other side of the face.

"That might be hard. Sleepy."

"I'll hit you if you fall asleep."

"Go ahead."

And Reborn did, slapping the back of Tsuna's head. The brunet rolled a little at that before going back into his previous position, not bothered by the hit. The baby grumbled and leaned forward so that he was resting his chin onto the Tsuna's shoulder blade. "Tell me, do you still hate me?"

Tsuna shifted slightly at those words and peered towards the baby with a dull look. He hummed and then shrugged his shoulders, moving Reborn slightly. "You've become tolerable."

"Just tolerable?" Reborn almost wanted to smirk in amusement.

"Fine, you're still an annoyance."

The hitman grumbled at that though in glee, seeing as they were both slowly warming up to each other in terms of their relationship. However, Reborn had to be honest to himself. Their relationship didn't seem to be one of a student-teacher's and was more of companions'. He hadn't truly taught much during the time he had been working with Tsuna. It was odd, but that was fine at this point of time. He first needed Tsuna to open up before he would be willing to learn and take in his teachings, though Reborn had a suspicion that it would take a lot longer than he'd originally thought.

The Arcobaleno blinked when he felt a finger poking his cheek and stared down at the opened honey-colored eyes. "Stop that."

Tsuna simply returned the gaze. "They're chubby."

"That's because I'm a baby."

"Are you sure about that?"

The hitman paused and looked back into those eyes again. "What do you mean?"

Tsuna didn't reply and continued to poke the cheeks, feeling the soft skin squish underneath the pressure.

Almost wanting to sigh, Reborn resisted the temptation to snap those fingers, and instead thought on the words. He had a strong gut feeling that the brunet was already well aware of his condition, though the question was how… "You know about the Arcobaleno, don't you?"

"But of course. It's pretty obvious."

"I see." Reborn looked up at the brunet, wondering if he should ask the question. After all, Tsuna knew about curses…right? The hitman looked down at his fingers, feeling his confidence over everything dropping, and then shook his head. No, he was here to train Tsuna to become Vongola Decimo - he could worry about his own problems later.

Meanwhile, the brunet was watching carefully and slowly reached over to grasp those tiny fingers, holding them carefully into his larger hand. At his touch, Reborn snapped back to his normal self, momentarily cursing to himself, and stared over at the brunet questionably.

"What?"

"Nothing." The brunet pulled his hand back and reclosed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of the water. He raised his hand off the tub and made a circular motion with his fingers. The knob on the hot water was twisted as well, the heat increasing, and more steam began to appear above the curtains. The two didn't talk after that, just sitting in the hot water, letting it wash over their bodies.

Reborn almost wanted to sigh and momentarily peered up to look into the brunet's eyes. Normally, he wasn't able to see anything, but in that split second, he saw something. A feeling of anger? But for what? "What are you thinking about?"

Tsuna blinked. "What do you mean?"

"You're reflecting on something. What was it about?"

The brunet seemed to hesitate as if knowing exactly what he had been thinking about and then smirked. "I'll share you a secret if you share me one of yours."

Reborn immediately narrowed his eyes. "And why should I tell you anything?"

"Equal exchange. You want something? Trade it."

There was his chance, the hitman knew he should take advantage of it, and yet, he didn't want to. He had his secrets he wanted to remain to himself, but then again, he also wanted to know more about his student. It was a hard decision, but in the end, the choice was obvious. "Alright, deal."

"Then you first, you know I'll keep my end of the bargain."

Reborn almost wanted to pout, already figuring out he wouldn't be able to escape. "I'm a fifty-seven years old man trapped into a cursed baby form." He smirked, wondering how Tsuna would react to his real age, but there was nothing. The brunet didn't even seem fazed by it.

There was a pause as Tsuna tried to think of a good secret he could use. "Would you believe me if I told you I'm much older than you?"

Reborn froze, staring at his student, and then shook his head. "No, not really." It wasn't possible. After all, he had the medical papers stating when Tsuna had been born.

"Then would you believe me if I told you that I killed my family once? Or that I'm not the Tsuna from this world?"

The hitman was now glaring. "Stop that and tell me the truth. I shared you my secret, now share me yours or there will be consequences."

Tsuna tilted his head slightly and smiled, not a dark smile, but soft and slightly weak. It made the hitman paused and stared, wondering about what was hidden behind it. "I wasn't lying. Whether you choose to believe it or not is up to you."

It was at that moment when Nana came walking in, demanding that they needed to come out now. She was tempted to open the curtains to catch their attention, but did peek in with that brilliant smile of hers, looking happily over the two. She almost cooed at the sight before her, of Tsuna lying on the bathtub with Reborn on the shoulder. If only she had a camera with her…

Tsuna complied with Nana's wishes, slowly standing up with his skin all wrinkled, and Reborn simply hopped out after staring at the brunet for a little bit, going straight to the provided towel on the floor which was next to his new set of clothes. Tsuna stretched in his position and nodded a small 'thanks' towards his mother before quickly drying himself off to get dressed. The used towel was thrown over his shoulders, rubbing into his hair gently, and he spared a momentary glance at the hitman before shaking his head. Ah, he was getting weaker… He hadn't meant to say those things, but he wasn't going to take it back. He knew that eventually the other would find out about his true identity, it was inevitable.

Reborn, on the other hand, remained within his thoughts, thinking over what Tsuna had said. He wasn't expecting to hear such a thing, but what did it mean? It wasn't possible for any of those things. He was still missing something before everything connected together.

* * *

Lambo's arrival didn't seem to rattle the Sawada household as much as Reborn would have expected. He had been hoping for some arguments, some yelling, and some disapproval from his student. There was nothing, nothing at all. Apparently, Tsuna was adversely quiet against the cow baby though one would consider his silence normal. Still, the hitman had been upset at his new setting. Not once did Tsuna crack or snap at the immature kid. The brunet would simply hand over some candy, something long-lasting - Reborn would note - and the child would keep quiet for an hour or so.

Not only that, but Lambo had a tendency to hang around Nana. He always wanted to get the attention of the endearing mother, something he knew Lambo had never had in the past if what his research stated on the cow idiot was true. Despite that, it didn't stop Lambo from seeing if he could rattle, or in the cow child's mind, assassinate, Reborn, which amusingly in turn annoyed Tsuna as well. However, one dark glare from the brunet prevented the cow child from doing anything that might anger him and Lambo quickly learned that if he avoided irritating the brunet, he would be left alone, and would continue to be given candy. Angering Tsuna meant no candy and long, unsettling silences and avoidance. This wasn't something the attention seeker desired.

And that worked out just fine for Tsuna. For the child, it meant he just had to go after Reborn whenever Tsuna wasn't around, which was already a pain for the Arcobaleno, considering Tsuna's bad luck curses affected him the most during that time. Though it wasn't as often of an occurrence, the curse was still there. What could have been a simple swipe of his hand to throw a grenade off ended up becoming a kick when it bounced off the tip of his fingers. It was annoying, but he was getting used to the workings of Tsuna's curses, it just meant that he needed to be more perceptive towards everything.

Still, the household was considered normal regardless of the additional member. Nothing changed much and Tsuna would head to and from school with little to no problem. Though there were the usual fighting between Gokudera and Lambo, insults after insults being sprouted, everything quickly settled into a routine. After school, Tsuna would every now and then go shopping for Nana with Lambo, picking up a few things for the child and sometimes even for Reborn, before coming back. Within a week, Lambo seemed to become more docile whenever he was around Tsuna, more active and greedy with Nana, and overly annoying to anyone else. It was quite the change, Reborn hadn't expected such a thing so fast, but despite that, took it in.

Of course, when the ten-year bazooka was used and the first time fifteen-years-old Lambo showed up had been somewhat surprising. This happened during school when the child had thought it would be a good idea to follow his Tsuna to class. It had left an odd, surprising impression on the class when they saw Tsuna reaching down to take the child into his arms, walking him out as if there was nothing wrong. Gokudera and Takeshi went out soon after, never wanting to be too far apart from their leader, and soon after they left, the whispers commenced. It was like some sort of wildfire, spreading from one classroom to another, and before long, everyone had heard of the news. Tsuna had spotted the momentary glance from Kyoko when he exited the room, who was smiling at the sight of the brunet taking care of a child. He had raised a questioning eyebrow, but ignored it and focused on the squirming kid in his hands instead.

"Oh, dear, looks like my younger self used the device. Where am I now?" A deep voice resonated through the pink smoke, startling most of the teenagers that were around. Tsuna remained as he always was, blank in expression, while Reborn was at the side, sitting on a bench to watch everything. The tall form was slouching slightly, shifting slightly in his steps as if turning side to side, and as the smoke cleared, a figure formed. Older Lambo glanced around the school area curiously, trying to situate himself, and was looking handsome now that he had grown up. His hair was neater now, more combed back than its usual wild self that was shaped as an afro, and his clothes were average everyday pieces, though it still had that cow-pattern print. One eye was closed shut with a little tattoo under it and a calm aura seemed to surround him. Though, the hitman knew better. Lambo may have matured, but he highly doubted it was enough.

The three teens looked over at Lambo curiously, Reborn jumping up to settle on Tsuna's shoulder, all trying to examine the other carefully. Takeshi was the first one to respond with a large grin. "Whoa, that was so cool! What kind of magic trick is that?"

Those words seemed to catch Lambo's attention and he blinked his one eye as he rotated his body to stare at the others. There was a flash of confusion within that one eye before realization began to settle on his mind. "Oh, I remember this. It wasn't too long ago that I first met you guys," He stepped closer, one hand in a pocket and was looking over everyone happily with a smile. "You all look so young!"

He seemed to spot Tsuna among the group and beamed, stepping closer until he could wrap his arms around the brunet tightly. Since Lambo was half a head taller, he was able to tuck his chin behind the shoulders and gave a tight squeeze that was fond in nature. Reborn jumped up onto the brunet's head to get out of the way, settling into the soft brown locks.

"Tsuna."

The brunet blinked questionably and didn't move, allowing the other to do whatever he wanted. As Lambo pulled back, the older-looking teen reached up and nudged on top of Tsuna's hair, running his fingers through the soft locks, just missing where Reborn was sitting.

"Ah, just how I remembered it. Some things just don't change." Fifteen-years-old Lambo grinned, pulling back with his hands on the brunet's shoulders. "Don't be too hard on my younger self, yeah? He doesn't really know much since he's been spoiled when he was younger and my father ignored us soon after. We're just trying to prove ourselves to him."

Tsuna still didn't respond and instead tilted his head to alert the other that he had heard the request.

"But still, to see you like this again, it's kinda amazing. I mean in the future…" At that, Lambo paused. "Ah, right, I'm not supposed to say anything. But I guess you already know?"

The brunet just gave a blank look like always, never revealing his inner emotions. However, that was fine, Lambo knew the real answer. The once cow-child turned to the other guardians with a grin, looking over them, and muttered a few things under his breath. No one had really caught the words, not even Reborn, due to how low it had been, and when someone wanted to question it, it was far too late. With one final smile, Older Lambo vanished into a puff of smoke and the younger version reappeared in his place, picking his nose and laughing loudly. The brunet reached down and patted the baby on the head gently, holding out a grape candy with the other hand for the child to take. Almost immediately, Lambo had taken and stuffed it into his mouth, going quiet as he sucked on the hard candy happily.

Reborn, however, was staring at the empty spot where adult Lambo had been. He had noticed it was clear as day and tilted his fedora downwards to hide his expression. He had been hoping to get a clear view of what was going to happen in the future, but what he'd seen was unexpected.

There was no Lightning Vongola ring on either of those hands, no symbol of Vongola anywhere. No proof Reborn had been searching for and nothing mattered at that moment.

Because to him, it meant that Lambo was never going to become the Vongola lightning guardian.

How disappointing.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by WhiteAngel128 and Persephone Crux
> 
> Edited: 10/18/15

Reborn was really starting to get irritated at the annoying cow child. He really was. It was already getting tempting for him to just shoot and kill the little brat and get the idiot out of his life forever. It wasn't as if he was useful anymore since Lambo wasn't going to become the lightning guardian like he had hoped. Still, Nana had taken a strong liking to him and even planned to keep him as her other child so Reborn was certain there would be some after-effects if something happened.

Tsuna, of course, didn't seem to care at all and just hung around the house like usual. He seemed to have moved into the living room where it was now quieter compared to his own room or the rest of the house. That was mostly because Lambo was still trying to kill Reborn each and every time they were alone.

Of course, Reborn hated that damn ten-year bazooka as well. So a few days after the meeting of future Lambo, they were back to fighting once more when the five-year-old had fired the bazooka at him. It had been an accident that Reborn had been caught by the blast, mainly because of that damn bad luck spell, and found himself being transported in a pink puff of smoke. He cursed his luck, but then rethought that. He could, after all, use this chance to find out more about the future and what was going on. He couldn't help but be curious as to what had happened to Lambo and how Tsuna would turn out to be.

Reborn felt the floors below him changing from the carpet to hardwood. To him, that meant he had also changed locations from the Sawada household. That was a good sign, he hoped. Waving his hand a little before his face, he cleared the pink smoke that was obscuring his vision until he could get a good look at his surroundings. He blinked as realization began to settle within his mind, this looked _nothing_ like the Vongola mansion. No, it seemed more like his old condo back when he had been an adult, but different. Reborn peered around the place, examining it thoroughly to make sure of everything as well as to check if there were any enemies he needed to be aware of. After all, a hitman needed to be prepared for anything.

Currently, he was in the kitchen and, by the look of it, was about to make some coffee if the running machine indicated anything to him. It had just been turned on, the sounds of the water heating up filled the room, and the time on the clock told him it was early morning. But where exactly was he? He wandered over to the calendar that was next to the coffee pot and recognized the Italian that was on it. 'Ah, so I'm back in my home country. Must have completed my job then.'

Still, his curiosity was there and he jumped off the counter to make his way into the living room to see if there were any more clues on what's had happened in this time period. As he did so, he heard some shuffling coming from the back area, from the bedrooms, and perked up slightly at that. Why would there be someone else in his condo? Perhaps he had a lover staying over? Curiosity getting the better of him, he went towards the area and into the room where he had detected the noise. The bedroom was quite big, not fancy or anything, but just the way he liked it. He was a hitman after all, places he lived at never lasted long because of his work. His black eyes turned to the bed that looked about a queen size and saw the lump that was underneath the covers. The sheets were layered and were raised high enough that Reborn couldn't get a good look at the person that was hiding underneath. He watched for a moment as the body seemed to snuggle deeper into the covers as if purposefully hiding its presence before curling up.

Tilting his head slightly, he stepped closer, making his way up towards the top. He automatically noticed that there was a large empty spot where he immediately hopped onto, still warm to his hands. To him, it meant that there had been someone else lying here not too long ago. Ignoring that for now, he looked at the person that was taking up the other half of the bed and slowly stepped closer. The blankets that went around the person gave a view of how thin the other was in figure, not exactly curvy, but was nice regardless, and had spiky brown hair that looked like the color of caramel poking out at the top. The sunlight that was coming in through the open windows was aimed just right to give that hair more of a glow from behind.

The figure began to move, stretching within the covers, and pulled it down a little. It was just enough for the baby to see the top of the forehead. "Reborn? Are you back?"

The hitman froze at that voice, he knew that voice anywhere. It was deeper, but it was still the same. "Tsuna?"

At his name, the blankets came down the rest of the way, revealing an older figure of the brunet the baby was so familiar with. Reborn couldn't help but think that the adult had definitely turned out quite good-looking over the years. Those normally large honey-colored eyes were now narrowed, giving him more of a dignified appearance, and the hair had become slightly longer. And within those almost considered beautiful orbs, there was an orange hue mixed in, giving him a more mystical look. The baby-fat was still there on the sides, but it complimented Tsuna more so and the brunet looked so peaceful in appearance like nothing could disturb him. Kissable lips were opened slightly for breathing and his skin was a warm sun-kissed color, but he still contained that dangerous dark aura around him.

Reborn could feel the effects of it on his body, but it didn't do anything except surround him and he was so tempted to reach out to touch his older-looking student. Tsuna blinked in question, his eyes a little wide in shock, before shaking his head. He took in the baby appearance of Reborn, looking up and down, before at his own state. It was an odd feeling for Reborn, he felt like he was being examined thoroughly, and watched as Tsuna propped his body up slightly with an elbow. Tsuna's hair fell down as he tilted his head almost adorably, the bed sheets falling off his shoulders to reveal creamy white skin. The hitman registered such things and wondered what had been happening before he arrived. It was odd after all since it didn't seem like something normal. The blankets remained, covering everything from the neck down, preventing Reborn from seeing anything. Mentally cursing, he wasn't able to tell if the Vongola ring was on the fingers or not. "Ah, younger Reborn, yes?"

"That's right," The hitman looked down at his tiny watch and calculated how much time he had left before the effect of the bazooka would take him away. There was still four minutes, good. "Where am I?"

"Your condo in Italy."

Reborn raised an eyebrow at the blunt response, but shrugged his shoulders, stepping forward to sit before Tsuna's head. The brunet had yet to move, lying down on the pillow as if it was the most comfortable thing in the world. "Why are you in my condo? Shouldn't you be in Vongola's base working? You're not slacking off, are you?"

Tsuna didn't respond to that. "Sorry, can't say. But since your future self isn't beating me up and letting me sleep here, then that should be a good enough answer for you for this time being." Then Tsuna did something Reborn had never seen before. He smiled, not an evil I'm-going-to-kill-you smile, or one that promised despair. No, it was a _real_ smile. A bright one and it made Reborn's chest tighten at the sight, knowing that it was only directed at him.

'So this is how Tsuna really smiles…' A little redness dusted his cheeks and he watched as a hand pulled out from underneath the pillow to touch him. Reborn felt that gentle hand caressing his left cheek and he could feel the warmth radiating from it, bringing his own hand to go behind Tsuna's. Leaning towards the cordiality, he blinked, wondering to himself what had happened over ten years' time. Just how much had their relationship changed? He still remembered walking carefully on eggshells, wondering when one would actually stab into his bare feet below when he crumbled down. Still, the hitman nodded for a reply. "Tell me how to get along with you."

The brunet suddenly laughed at that, shoulders shaking, before burying his face into the pillow to cover it up. Reborn was right, this Tsuna was much more open and willing if that laughter said anything. "And where are you at this moment with me?"

"Well, you got angry with me today when I tried to steal your books to the point that you broke my hammock the moment I sat on it."

"Hmm, still there. Then, for now, since your hammock is gone, I suggest sleeping with myself in bed. I've always enjoyed holding onto something and I like to cuddle. You've probably already noticed from the many times you've decided to sleep on me," And Reborn had, he'd always ended up being placed in the teddy bear role each and every time. It was annoying, but not all that bad. Still, Reborn raised an eyebrow. After all, older-Tsuna wanted him to sleep beside him during the night, that was asking him to kill himself, and yet, here was Tsuna smiling at him. Well, it was worth a try and it wasn't like he had a bed anymore. Tsuna hummed softly to himself, closing his eyes for a moment before reopening them. "And anyway, I can't do anything if you're beside me. Other than that, be open with myself. If I tell you something, listen. I don't tell lies, unless necessary."

'Don't tell lies…' Reborn snapped his head up, reaching forward to grasp the hand on his face again. "Then what about that lie about being older than me? Or that you killed your family once? Or-"

The hitman was cut off by a finger being pressed against his lips. He blinked, looking down at the offensive hand, his eyes peering over everything. Reborn had every temptation to snap said finger in his rage, but resisted as he looked things over. There, he saw a ring, but it wasn't the Vongola ring. This one was different in color and shape and as he tried to focus on it, his attention was snapped away by movement from Tsuna. The same hand came up to his little cheeks again, stroking it gently, and he almost wanted to relax at the gentle touch. "At that point of time, did I look like I was lying?"

Reborn found himself narrowing his eyebrows at that. He was thinking back, but regardless, he had noticed nothing. "No, you didn't."

"Then believe me. You probably have plenty of questions now because of that. But all will be revealed to you sooner or later. You can trust me on that. All I ask is for you to accept." Slowly, Tsuna pulled himself up and leaned over, suddenly pressing his lips against one of Reborn's cheeks. The hitman blinked, shocked that the other would make such a bold move against him, and right when he wanted to respond, that accursed pink smoke engulfed his vision. The warm touch disappeared instantly, only the coldness of the air remaining, and Reborn couldn't help but pout in disappointment.

As the smoke cleared up, his eyes turned to the cow-child, who was…cowering? Reborn stared at the shivering Lambo, who looked quite ready to pee himself in fear, and when the baby stepped forward to demand what had happened, the other ran off screaming about one thing or another. The hitman could only stare in wonder for a few moments, questioning if his future self had done something to scare Lambo, before following after. He was curious after all. Still, he didn't want anyone to know what had just happened and allowed himself to take aim, blasting his way through the household. He listened to cries of the five-year old and watched as Lambo ran out of the room, the hitman not too far behind as he fired bullets repeatedly.

He followed the cow down the stairs, passing through the kitchen, until they went into the living room where Tsuna was at. Reborn took a split second to look over his current student, his mind still reflecting from that five-minute loop. The brunet before him was much younger-looking than the older version, and less mature in figure only. The personality was still the same, however, there was no doubt they had become close if Tsuna was able to smile like that at him.

'Hmm, looks like I'll just have to try out what older Tsuna said tonight.' Reborn smirked, hopping past the brunet to continue on with his chase, almost unable to hide his excitement for later today.

* * *

Tsuna blinked awake when he suddenly felt an extra presence sneaking into his covers and shifted slightly to get a better view. What he saw made him stop to stare in shock. In all honesty, the brunet hadn't been this surprised for a long time. Truly, he hadn't expected Reborn of all people to try and sneak into his bed. Lambo, yes. But Reborn? Absolutely not. His large honey-colored eyes peered over the hitman carefully, watching Reborn curiously as the baby pushed himself up close to him on his bed. It was odd, so odd. "What are you doing?"

The sun Arcobaleno was smirking, dressed in his pajamas, and snuggled closer towards the brunet's chest. It wasn't as bad as he had expected and continued to shift, despite the fact that Tsuna's arms were slowly wrapping around him. "I'm sleeping here now since you decided to destroy my bed."

"Oh?" The brunet didn't comment any further and threw the covers back to their previous spot, glancing around the room then back. It was almost eleven right now and the night sky was sparkling with numerous stars in the darkness. Strangely, he just went along with it and stretched out his arms further for a better grip so that he could pull Reborn even closer.

The hitman had budged at the tightening, not expecting it, but allowed himself to go along, taking in that soft scent Tsuna held after a shower. It was unusual for him to sleep next to someone so willingly. He enjoyed being on his own, that and his hitman instincts would go off every time. It was mainly so that he would be able to defend himself whenever there was an attack. Still, he guessed he could make that exception with his student tonight and follow older-Tsuna's words for the time being.

The teen soon buried his face into the pillow, getting himself comfortable, not wanting to bother with this anymore. "Whatever." At this point of time, he just wanted to sleep despite how nice it was to hold onto something. The hitman gave a low chuckle and tucked his head right below Tsuna's chin, listening to soft lull of the brunet's heart and breathing. Before long, he found his eyes closing, not something that happened often since he normally kept them open, and fell deep asleep.

And anyway, Tsuna was so warm, ridiculously so. With those arms wrapped around him just right and those soft blankets, it was incredibly wonderful. Tsuna dozed off pretty fast, sleeping quietly like he was dead to the rest of the world, and soon Reborn found himself following. For now, he'll allow himself to get some true sleep.

* * *

Meeting Bianchi wasn't all that interesting in Tsuna's point of view, she was just another assassin trying to go after her lover or, well, ex-lover in Reborn's case. He had ignored her to the most part and left her to Reborn, watching in amusement as the hitman avoided the overly emotional woman. He had wondered in the back of his mind if it was possible to actually strangle Reborn through hugs, but decided it wasn't best to go any further. The poisonous food that had been generally aimed at him had been redirected towards other people, many being students at his school, who he didn't care for. He took in some amusement as he watched them scream and he swore there was Mochida mixed in, who lost his hair because of one dissolving plate. That worked out just fine for him and every now and then Reborn had jumped onto his shoulder for escapes.

Other than that, it was still quite peaceful. He just avoided her like crazy, predicting where she would show up, but that changed once Takeshi and Gokudera came involved with the mess.

"Sis!" The silver-haired teen took one look at his supposed sister and collapsed to the floor, looking blue in the face. There was some green mixed in and the eyes were all rolled back as if the teen was dead. Tsuna raised an eyebrow as he looked over Gokudera and leaned down to poke the storm guardian in the cheek, asking the unspoken question of 'what happened?' to him. Gokudera twitched, but managed to grumble out his answer to get things cleared up. "I-It's her…"

Then he was out like a light, more foam drooling from his lips. That resulted in some stares by those around him and even Takeshi's smile was dropping. Though the swordsman was uneasy about the additional player to their game, he didn't exactly hate him. Gokudera just had some rough edges that needed to be sanded out. So, when some sort of purple substance was suddenly thrown towards Tsuna while he was looking over their fallen team member, Takeshi immediately struck. His sword was out of the sheath and flashed before his eyes, dicing the food into tiny pieces that soared around him, not allowing one bit to hit him. The remaining of the substance fell to the ground and melted into the concrete below, a sizzling sound clearly heard.

Bianchi, not expecting such an attack, took a few steps back to gain some distance and pulled out a few more plates of food, ready for use. Takeshi simply stood before his best friend and Gokudera in a defensive stance, calculating for the next attack. The end of his blade reflected the sunlight from above, almost giving it a shimmering appearance.

The pink-haired woman sneered at the group before her. "I won't let anyone get in my way of love! If Vongola Decimo was to die, then Reborn would be free!"

Tsuna raised an eyebrow at that and peered at the hitman. "So this is all your fault…as usual."

"Don't blame it on me, I'm just a baby." Reborn retorted with a shrug of the shoulders.

"Sure you are."

"Herbivores, what are you doing?" The voice appeared out of nowhere, almost like the wind, and everyone immediately peered back at the newcomer in surprise. Tsuna blinked from his spot, still leaning down over the silver-haired teen, and then glanced at Takeshi for a split second. The swordsman paled a little bit at the person's appearance, but shook his head to concentrate on his opponent before him. Bianchi was more willing to kill his friend and that wasn't allowed.

Tsuna stood up slowly and stepped forward, looking calm, with Reborn on his shoulder. Deciding on something, he turned to the side to get a clear visual of both Hibari and Poison Scorpion before pointing towards the pink-haired female. "Hibari, she attacked us Namimori students, placing many in the hospital, and made all these still sizzling dents into building. She is also a very strong assassin."

Those words worked like magic on Hibari and he suddenly twisted to the woman with a wild grin. Rushing forward, he struck rapidly and quickly, barely allowing the assassin to relent. Bianchi could only focus on the bloodthirsty teen, trying desperately to defend herself as the attacks left her only being able to guard. As that occurred, Tsuna and Takeshi lifted their fallen comrade off the ground and dragged him down the stairs, trying to get to a much safer area than the rooftop. There were some grunts coming from the silver-haired teen in their arms, but it went ignored as well as the clangs of metal in the background.

"Are you seriously going to leave it to him? That's running away." Reborn huffed, settled on Tsuna's shoulder like normal and soon hopped up onto the soft hair since there was less movement here.

"No, it's not. I'm leaving it to someone who wants to take care of it."

The hitman didn't have a comment to that.

* * *

Later in the day, Bianchi came busting to the household looking a little roughed up, but fine. There were a few bruises here and there from the aftermath of the battle with Hibari and she stomped into the building looking completely furious. Her normally neatly kept long pink hair was sticking out at different ends and there was a slight wince on her face when she touched the lower right area of her stomach. Tsuna remained where he was at on the couch, reading one of his books without a care even when there was an assassin just a few feet away from him. Reborn was on the kitchen counter, sipping slowly on his cup of coffee, and was munching on some cookies Nana had baked earlier that day. He didn't want to bother moving away from these lovely delicious items.

The moment she saw Reborn, she went straight to him as she peered over the baby. "Reborn! My love!" Bianchi immediately wrapped her arms around the Arcobaleno, trying to squeeze the hitman as tightly as possible, and smiled happily. "How have you been?"

"Great, in a sense."

"Aw, my poor Reborn. This type of place doesn't suit you. You must come back with me into the underworld."

"Not until my deal with Nono is done," Reborn hopped out of the grasp and landed a few feet away, Leon slithering around at the top. His dark eyes peered at Tsuna, who was still reading without a care in the world, and stepped towards his previous spot to sit down. "Also, be careful with my student, he's more dangerous than you think."

Bianchi didn't deter from that. "Are you worried about me? There's no need to. I'm more than strong enough to take care of myself. And you just started training him so he can't be that good anyway."

The hitman looked up and shook his head. "No, I don't need to train him. He fights well on his own without my help. Do you plan on staying here? I might not suggest it."

The woman looked upset at that announcement and pouted, waving her arms side to side together. "Nothing can get in the way of my love."

"Except death and curses," Reborn muttered under his breath, sighing at the fact that his student had already placed the latter on her long before anything else. It was too obvious. After all, she wouldn't be this badly beaten up if it wasn't out of her control. Though his was less often, it was certain words that he threw that caused him to get into a tighter mess than already. "Anyway, be extremely careful. And that brother of yours would be upset if you were to harm the person he cared about dearly."

"He'll get over it. He's young."

Reborn kept the same face and turned back to Tsuna, jumping down from his spot to head over. He was really getting used to having the brunet beside him and settled onto the couch, leaning against his so-called student, still sipping on his cup of coffee. The teenager blinked in surprise, peering down at the baby, and tilted his head in confusion before going back to his book. Bianchi watched the scene interestingly with an eyebrow raised, trying to identify the feeling that was beginning to surface within her chest. The scene before her didn't seem like that of a teacher and student, no, it was more of…What was the word for it? How strange. She had expected something different between the two, Reborn tormenting the brunet like mad and Tsuna screaming for mercy, but this…

"Reborn…" The pink-haired woman hummed to herself. "You two look like you're more of companions or friends than a student-teacher relationship."

The hitman peered up at that, glancing at Tsuna, and then back down at his still steaming cup of coffee. He sighed. "It does seem like that, doesn't it?"


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by WhiteAngel128 and saphire644
> 
> Edited: 10/18/15

With a little bit of persuasion from Reborn, Bianchi ended up staying at her own place, most likely for her wellbeing and for the peace and quiet at the Sawada household. It was much safer that way, at least, for the pink-haired woman. Reborn, though he didn't return the feelings that Bianchi felt for him, did indeed care for her safety and didn't want to see anything terrible happen to her. He had known her since she was a child and Reborn was more than well aware that Tsuna's destructive ability was far too powerful for the female assassin to go against, the numerous bodies that followed him were evidence of that.

Regardless, there was no doubt that Bianchi would still come by as often as possible but, without her around twenty-fours-seven, she was less likely to be killed by Tsuna simply because she annoyed him. As for Bianchi, having Reborn around like this meant she could see him more often than when they were in Italy before. So all in all, it benefited her at any case and she never bothered with Tsuna. Because to her, as long as she could be around the person she loved, it didn't matter. The two in the end avoided each other, with Tsuna never talking much like normal, however, the brunet did note that there was some jealousy directed towards him from the pink-haired woman. Why? He wasn't sure, but he knew it had to do with Reborn one way or another.

Nevertheless, another irritation appeared and, for once, Reborn was afraid the worst could happen. He really did. A young girl named Haru, who believed that Tsuna was corrupting the innocence of the babies, had been trying to take matters into her own hands.

Literally.

To the point of it being a danger to her wellbeing. Reborn had noticed her long ago, stalking through the neighborhood, making sure to pass by the Sawada house every single time. There were many times he caught her watching through the window. He had hoped it would only be a temporary thing and she would move on once she realized there was nothing she could do. She wasn't a threat, she wasn't an assassin, just someone who should be ignored and avoided at all costs.

Of course, Tsuna did as he expected. He disregarded her entirely, continuing on his way to school without batting an eyelash or turning his head towards her. It was like she didn't exist in his mind and he was clearly cold-shouldering each and every attempt of hers to catch his attention. Tsuna made no endeavor in correcting her views and so far, Haru had kept her distance. She was very persistent, Reborn would admit, and he was wondering when either one would finally cave in and crack. The hitman hoped it wouldn't be Tsuna because he knew full well that if the brunet snapped, blood would be spilled.

Still, days passed by and a rough barrier was formed between the two. Tsuna continued to not bother, avoiding the situation entirely, and seemed to be more concerned with his books than anything else. Haru, of course, didn't appreciate the avoidance and tried to sneak into the house a couple of times, all ending in failure one way or another due to Tsuna's bad luck curses. She would trip over her own feet or slip on something and would always come out with a couple bruises or scrapes. Nothing too major. However, there was no doubt in Reborn's mind as he watched from the safety of the porch of the house that the cuts were starting to grow deeper and the bruises were getting larger. It was obvious that Tsuna's spells were growing in strength each day she appeared, doubling the injuries she received from the day before. It was obvious that things were beginning to worsen, escalating at each attempt. At this rate, the hitman would not be surprised to find her unconscious with brain damage the next time he looked out the window.

"Will you stop? You're annoying." Tsuna finally stated towards the girl before him, who had ultimately managed to succeed in getting him trapped just as he exited the house. He would normally go around her, but she was making it quite difficult this time and he didn't feel like putting in the extra effort of actually making her move. Reborn was on his student's shoulder this time, gripping onto Tsuna's hair for leverage, and remained in his position, curious about how this would all play out. He knew from experience that Tsuna held no hesitation towards harming anyone, man or woman. Both genders were the same to him. But would he kill an innocent civilian? That was a question that seemed to haunt Reborn's mind. If Tsuna didn't care, then turning him into the Vongola Decimo that he'd envisioned would be much, _much_ harder.

"Hahi! Not until I save those poor babies! Their pure hearts are being corrupted by you!"

Tsuna almost rolled his eyes at that. "Whatever, I'm going to school."

However, as he tried to make his way around, the girl immediately stopped him by slamming her arms outwards. "You're not going anywhere until I've saved those poor babies!" Her eyes remained on Reborn intently, a little blush dusting her cheeks. She looked like she would grab the baby at any moment, but seemed to resist when it came to the pressure Tsuna was emitting.

"Then you can have them."

"Hahi?"

Reborn almost wanted to pout at that declaration. Honestly, he didn't want to go anywhere with this crazy person. "You can't do that, Tsuna. I'm supposed to be your tutor."

And the brunet just sighed. Well, there went that plan.

Haru didn't give up however and seemed to stomp forward to catch the two males' attention, pointing her forefinger towards the brunet in detest. "I won't be tricked! You're an evil person who must be taken care of."

Tsuna didn't reply to that, knowing that deep down, he was indeed an evil person, but smartly kept his mouth shut. It wouldn't help his case and would most likely cause more trouble than he needed. Also, letting her know that he was supposed to be an heir to a mafia organization wouldn't be pleasant either. Not wanting to deal with any of this, he instead went a different route by running up the wall that surrounded the Sawada house and swung his body over it to get to the other side.

Reborn had to hold onto Tsuna's shoulder tightly to make sure that he didn't go flying off, the other hand on his fedora. He managed to keep himself attached and repositioned his body so that if the brunet decided to make another attempt, he would be more prepared. Giving a huff towards the foolish girl, Tsuna wandered off, heading towards school just as his two guardians popped around the corner to greet him. He almost grumbled out loud from the annoyance, hoping that this would be done for the day and that she would head towards her own school. Sadly, when he heard the girl calling out to him, Tsuna's fingers twitched as the temptation of actually killing the girl rose.

"Tsuna-sama? Is she following you?" Gokudera called out first before anyone else, pointing towards the rude woman behind the group, ready to take out his dynamites at any threat towards Tsuna's life. He was already thinking up names to call her, hating her personality even before actually meeting. Takeshi remained quiet, watching the interactions carefully as he stood to the side. The rain guardian had a strong feeling that this girl's overly strong character would be hard for Tsuna to snub, and would result in trouble. It didn't take a genius to notice.

"Just ignore her." The brunet muttered, keeping his feet moving without another word, not wanting to get involved any more than necessary. The silver-haired teen looked a little hesitant, but followed regardless, pocketing his hands into his jacket. The two guardians had instantly noticed the annoyance that was vibrant within their boss's voice, knowing that it was best to get their friend away before something terrible happened. They knew all too well how devastating he could get.

Haru didn't give up and followed them regardless, fussing along in the background. Takeshi looked like he wanted to voice a few questions about the girl, but kept his mouth closed when Reborn tossed a dark glare. The temperature seemed to drop and an ice-cold breeze blew pass them. The baseball fan shivered at the suffocating killing intent that poured out and gulped from both his best friend and the baby. Perhaps it was better not to ask…

* * *

Tsuna almost wanted to sigh in frustration; the temptation of eliminating her was growing stronger. The girl had followed them all the way to school, chattering about one thing or another, and only left them alone when they were in the school grounds. It was annoying, just plain annoying. He didn't even want to explain to the others about her, but he knew better, it was best to at least let them know what was going on so that they would be prepared in the future. She was an innocent who was deluded by her own fantasies, fantasies about the so-called children in his group. He had evaded the idiot as often as possible since the beginning, knowing she was there every time, and eventually began to use spells to prevent Haru from getting too close. Reborn had quickly caught onto the attempts and threw some disapproving glances, but didn't say much. It was clear to Tsuna that the baby, too, was pissed.

Eventually, she got Tsuna cornered again on the way to the grocery store to pick up extra food for himself and Reborn. He had just wanted some additional snacks around the house and the hitman some of his beloved coffee. The brunet, deciding to not want to deal with this anymore, was about to swipe his hand to activate a spell to blast her away. His patience was already low for the day and he was certain that, by the twitch in Reborn's fingers, the hitman was, too. After all, she was currently standing in the way of the Arcobaleno, preventing him from getting his regular dose of coffee and espresso each and every day. However, just as he was about to create some wind to shove her aside, a certain classmate came around the aisle with a bright grin. He physically twitched.

"Oh, Tsuna! It's nice to see you," The brunet blinked as he peered at his orange-haired classmate, Kyoko, and almost groaned in frustration. Still, he lowered his hand and turned slightly to the side to get a better view of both girls. The idol of the school gave her famous smile and stepped closer, holding onto an empty basket. "What are you doing here?"

"Leaving." Tsuna bluntly replied, turning to grab a bag of chips and continued down towards the coffee section. He was almost done, just a little more and he could pay and get the hell out of here. Reborn was still on his shoulder, tightening his grasp to dodge Haru's grabby hands when she got too close, and hoped his student could move fast enough to get them both away. He, too, wasn't in the mood for this.

Kyoko didn't let up and followed with Haru beside her. It didn't take long before the girls began to talk to each other, almost attaching to one another like magnets, while Tsuna continued his attempt to escape. He quickly grabbed what he needed and dashed to the front to pay. Still, the girls didn't give up and followed him around. It was too obvious that they were getting along by the sounds of their conversation, but as to why the orange-haired girl was there, he didn't understand.

"Ah, Tsuna, would you like to eat with us?" Kyoko called out, waving his hand, and then peered at Reborn. "And Reborn can come, too."

"No." His quick reply disheartened Kyoko immediately, but he was overthrown when Reborn suddenly agreed to it, surprising him. He didn't know why though, seeing as the hitman had been irritated despite keeping it under disguise. Furious, Tsuna almost glared at all three as a small amount of killing intent leaked from his body on accident. However, he caught himself in time, shaking his head to control himself, and returned back to his dull state. He couldn't go wild here.

And that's how he ended up getting dragged into a cake shop of all places.

"I know! Reborn is so cute!" Kyoko chuckled happily as she peered at the baby, well aware of the other girl beside her. She had a large slice of strawberry shortcake, half eaten already, and a piece of a Battenberg cake right beside it, just waiting to be devoured. A cup of ice-cold water was within her hands and she took a small sip before continuing, "Tsuna takes such good care of him."

"Hahi! That's not true!" Haru puffed out her cheeks and waved her hands around as if trying to make a point. For the brunette, she had a slice of a black forest cake as well as a piece of Lady Baltimore. Reborn didn't pay any attention to the occupants, who were clearly ogling him with heart-shaped eyes, of the table and was instead enjoying the tiramisu that Tsuna had ordered for him. It was delicious, the thick cream was just right, the ladyfingers had the correct amount of coffee soaked inside. It was just heavenly. It was clear that this food deserved more attention than his surroundings. His dark eyes were eyeing the marjolaine as well, though it wasn't coffee-based, he'd always adored hazelnut and almonds in his cakes due to his Italian inheritance. Meanwhile, Tsuna just kept quiet to the side and continued to devour his strawberry cheesecake while sipping some water in-between. He made sure that Reborn's coffee was constantly refilled to avoid any unnecessary trouble, not wanting to face a grumpy hitman while dealing with two other idiots.

"Eh? But Tsuna has been taking care of him for such a long time already. Hmm…about three months or so?" The orange-haired girl looked deep in thought as she went over everything in her head. "He takes Reborn to school every day and every time I see him, Reborn is always fed and clothed, too."

Haru looked shocked at that, not expecting Tsuna to supposedly be taking "good" care of Reborn. The brunet just exchanged a look with the hitman, knowing the real truth to everything.

Still, Tsuna could tell that the two girls had immediately hit it off, chatting about cakes and whatnot, basically whatever nonsense girls talked about in their spare time, and then heard the talk shift to babies. He sighed silently to himself and stood up from his spot. "I'm heading home. I have groceries to put away. Reborn, are you coming with me or staying?" He turned to the baby curiously while reaching into his wallet to grab some money to throw onto the table. He wasn't going to leave without paying first and had enough to afford Reborn's meal as well. The girls, however, were on their own.

"Eh? Reborn can stay! I'll treat you to all sorts of food." Haru interjected happily, looking at the baby eagerly with an odd glint in her eyes.

Kyoko smiled a little at that, going along with the other girl's idea. "Tsuna, I can watch over him for you. I know where you live. I pass by it on the way to school sometimes." Her lips remained at the same stretch, appearing a little hopeful at the thought of taking care of the Arcobaleno.

Tsuna didn't say anything to that, looking at Reborn for his answer. When he saw nothing, he shrugged his shoulders and turned around, slowly making his way out of the building. Just as he opened the door to head outside, he felt a small pressure on the top of his head. Blinking, he peered up to see that familiar end of the fedora. "You're coming with me?"

"Of course, I need to watch you at all times."

"What about the girls? I thought you wouldn't skip on some free meals."

Reborn smirked at that, aware that Tsuna could to see it through the reflection of the window. "I had to deny them. They're too clingy for my taste. But I want to come here tomorrow to try out a couple more of their cakes, without them around of course."

"Whatever you say," The brunet wanted to shake his head, but resisted since Reborn was on top and left the place, not bothering to look back to see the girls' disappointed expressions. It wasn't his fault that Reborn chose to come with him over them after all. He didn't say anything else and made his way back home. However, about halfway, the girls came back. "Oh no…"

Reborn almost wanted to laugh at his student's despair, but he knew better. After all, whatever made Tsuna miserable would in turn affect him. He hopped down onto Tsuna's shoulder, hoping that everything would turn out for the best. Though, at this point, he should know better than to just simply hope.

"Wait, Tsuna!" Kyoko called out, dashing up to beside the brunet happily, looking a little out of breath, and was holding onto a leftover box that probably contained the cakes she wanted to finish up. It was clear she had run all the way to catch up, but for what, Tsuna didn't know. Haru was right behind, carrying her purse in one hand and a box in the other while trying to look eager about something else. "Can we come with you? There's another child at your place, right?"

Tsuna didn't even want to bother with replying to that and just nodded his head, already knowing where this was going to go. He continued on, not wanting to put up with anymore of this nonsense, and refused to answer any of Haru's odd accusations towards his treatment to babies despite already knowing how he treated Reborn through Kyoko. As they made their way to the house, Tsuna simply opened the door and stepped straight into the kitchen after taking off his shoes. He spotted Nana at her usual spot with Lambo running around on the floor, demanding for attention and food. Not once did the cow child turn his way, food much higher on his list of demands. "Mom, I brought some people home. They're here for Lambo and Reborn."

"Eh?" Nana spun around and took one look at the guests before breaking out into a massively wide grin. "Welcome! Are you Tsuna's friends?"

"No," Tsuna immediately intercepted. "Kyoko is from school and Haru is her…friend. They are here for the children."

"That's wonderful! I was just about to set out some snacks, would you girls like some?" Nana went around, literally attaching herself to the females, leaving Tsuna and Reborn on their own. Lambo was wandering around Nana's feet, mostly ignored by everyone until Haru got her hands on him, cradling him tightly against her bosom. The snacks, obviously meant for everyone, ended up being devoured by the females of the group instead and Tsuna could only stare from the side. The leftover boxes were placed onto the counter, their bags and purses as well, and would be there for hours if Tsuna's suspicion was correct.

He could hear them chatting in the living room, completely forgetting the fact that there were other people in the house. He heard some words about the children, a few passing conversations about himself, and then gossip of fellow townspeople. "How typical of Nana." Setting Reborn onto the kitchen counter, he made his way around the room, putting the groceries away before moving onto something else. Apparently, the slice of cake earlier hadn't been enough to fill his hunger and he suspected that at the rate the girls were going, dinner would most likely be late.

"What are you doing?" The hitman asked, questioning his student when he suddenly saw him pulling out a pan from a cabinet. He had never seen Tsuna do anything in the kitchen besides eating, never once helping Nana while she was cooking.

"Getting something to eat. Do you want anything?"

Reborn hummed lightly to himself before nodding his head.

"Is Okonomiyaki okay with you?" The hitman nodded again and Tsuna went to gather the ingredients that were mostly stored in the refrigerator to begin mixing. It wasn't difficult as he easily chopped up the cabbage and other vegetables into tiny pieces, combining it into the bowl of flour. They didn't have one of those stoves the restaurants had, but a large flat pan was good enough. Reborn watched as the brunet moved around with ease, never once messing up and added a few spices here and there into the mixture. It was obvious to his trained eyes that Tsuna was improvising certain ingredients with others while adding certain things just for a better taste. When the thick batter was poured into the pan, Reborn listened to the sound of it sizzling and smelled the amazing aroma that began to waft out. The mayonnaise and barbeque sauce were out for the finishing touches.

"Oh, Tsuna, are you cooking?" Nana decided at long last to poke her head in, beholding the sight of her darling son at the stove. She appeared surprised, knowing that she had never seen Tsuna cook before in her entire life. She had never once taught him either. Kyoko and Haru were peeking in as well, watching the scene carefully. "I didn't know you could cook."

"I've been able to for a long time." Tsuna replied, flipping what almost looked like a pancake, but they all knew better. When one patty was finished, he placed it onto a plate, decorating it quickly with the sauces before presenting it to Reborn. Soon after, he started on the next one the minute the plate clicked on the table.

The hitman looked at the Okonomiyaki curiously, not sure what to expect on the taste, before just going with it. There shouldn't be any harm in testing since he had carefully watched every step to make sure that nothing suspicious had been placed in. Using the chopsticks, he went for the bite. His tongue rolled over the piece, letting the flavor settle onto his taste buds, before swallowing. "It's…pretty good," He smirked happily, looks like Tsuna had inherited Nana's cooking talents. "Mama, you taught Tsuna well."

"Eh?" At that, the mother looked confused. "But I've never taught Tsuna how to cook before."

Reborn blinked and looked over towards the brunet. That was odd. Tsuna's actions and movements were considered professional levels. There had to been some practice from somewhere. The only person who could teach Tsuna how to cook was Nana. The brunet suddenly went around the corner while the food was cooking and leaned down close to Reborn's ear. He cupped his hands, eyes watching as the Arcobaleno tensed at the sudden closeness. He would have broken out into a grin at how uncomfortable he was making the other feel. "Didn't I tell you in the shower that I'm older than I look? And my older self did tell you to believe my words. Follow them. He was not lying to you." Whispering those words for only Reborn to hear, he pulled back and went to the stove again. He could only smirk in amusement as he watched the hitman's eyes widen in shock, his words resonating within that tiny mind. It was clear to him he had gained Reborn's full attention and he only hoped the baby would listen to his older self's advice to wait.

Eventually, Nana tried a little of Reborn's Okonomiyaki for tasting during the baby's distraction and squealed, earning everyone's attention. She wanted the recipe for this, it was too delicious to not desire it. Her voice seemed to snap the hitman out of his state and turn his attention back to the food. He could think deeper on those words later. He had other things to deal with right now, like the wonderful food before him that needed to be finished. As for Tsuna, he only thought his cooking was average. He simply knew more since he had been living for so long and boredom made him do all sorts of things, cooking being one of them.

As Tsuna finished up the latest patty and decorated it with the sauces, he took a bite and shrugged his shoulders. It tasted fine to him. Reborn hopped up next to him when he finished his plate and demanded more immediately. "I only made enough for three patties. Reborn will have the last one." Tsuna was tempted to actually roll his eyes at the disappointed faces of the girls and ate his own while the last one cooked. Dealing with people just wasn't his forte.

"Tsuna," Reborn remained close by, his empty plate left on the counter. "What else are you able to cook?"

"That depends."

"What about Penne alla vodka?"

Tsuna couldn't help but blink at that. "Yes, I can make that. I think it's just getting the…ingredients that might be the issue. Didn't think you liked that type of food though."

"People don't serve foods with alcohol to infants."

"Point taken," Tsuna muttered under his breath, flipping the patty to cook the other side. "Do you want me to cook it tonight or later?"

"Whenever possible."

"Alright then," With that, Tsuna pulled the Okonomiyaki off and after placing the finishing touches, gave it to Reborn. He smirked lightly as he watched the hitman wolf it down and placed the dirty pan and dishes into the sink for washing later tonight. It didn't take long before Reborn finished and hopped back onto Tsuna shoulder, muttering a small 'thanks for the meal'. Tsuna rotated his head gently towards Nana, "Mom, I'll be upstairs. Call me if you need me." Not saying another word, he left while ignoring the watching eyes, especially Haru's, seeing as she was complaining about him giving alcohol to a baby.

* * *

"Tsuna," Reborn whispered, looking towards the brunet curiously, a notebook out before him with all data he had collected on his student in his hands. "You will one day tell me more about yourself, yes? The older you gave me his word."

Tsuna glanced up momentarily with a blank expression. "Yes, you will eventually find out. He told you that you will learn everything sooner or later, you just need to wait. That's it."

The hitman observed the teen a little more before nodding, going back to his notebook to fill out more information. He knew he was close, just a little more and he would have what he needed to piece together Tsuna's story.

* * *

Nana examined the girls before her in question, confusion evident on her expression. She had been hoping that one of these fine ladies would become Tsuna's girlfriend and possibly win him over through the usual route she went through, the stomach. However, if Tsuna can cook, better than anyone, there was no need. Or at least, it would be more challenging to win him over and that personality of his made him somewhat distant to everyone else. There was also his figure, she was well aware that Tsuna had inherited her petite feminine frame and was shorter and younger-looking than all of his classmates. Nana believed he was also cuter than most of the girls, too. 'Still, this is the first time I've ever seen any girls around my little cutie. All I've seen are those boys if you include Reborn…' Nana blinked at that notion and hummed to herself, ignoring the chattering behind her. 'Maybe Tsuna is interested more in men?'

At that passing thought, she paused, looking up the stairs before squealing loudly, well aware that she caught the attention of everyone else. "Oh, he must be! How cute! Tsuna would make the perfect housewife," Nana could already picture her darling son cooking breakfast for his lover, making sure that everything was perfect, because he was just like that. "The man must be tall and handsome with a personality that can keep up with Tsuna's. How I wish that man would just appear already!"

She ignored the confused expressions from behind and went on. "Oh, I must tell Iemitsu that our little darling is interested in men. I wonder who he's going to marry. Maybe it's one of those boys that keep coming over! Or maybe the person I just envisioned!" Nana continued to go off into her own little world, never once looking behind.

* * *

Haru, of course, despite getting into the house and hearing all that Nana was yelling out about, didn't seem to give up on her attempts of taking the children away to a better home, or at least a better environment. She had to admit that Nana, Tsuna's mother, was such a wonderful person and so she allowed them to stay, but the brunet needed an attitude change. "Hey, Haru needs to talk to you!"

She slammed open the bedroom door, looking accusingly at the teen on the floor. However, before she managed to say anything else, a loud explosive shot echoed through the room and an object whizzed by her face. She tensed up at that, eyes going towards the baby that was slumbering on a pillow on top of the bed, a green gun in his hand with smoke still coming out of the top. Reborn looked positively enraged, he had been taking a good nap, a nap that hadn't been disturbed by Lambo, and it just had to be interrupted by the next most annoying person he had met. Tsuna never disturbed him and knew how to move him just right to keep him fast asleep, but Haru? Haru was really starting to push his limits.

"Hahi! Babies shouldn't be playing with such dangerous toys!" She yelled accusingly towards Tsuna, who remained where he was at, sitting down with a book in hand as he leaned against the bed. He didn't even bother with looking up, declaring her not worth his time. "Reborn! You shouldn't listen to Tsuna. He's a bad influence to you. He'll make you do all sorts of terrible things."

Reborn narrowed his eyes slightly at that. For a moment, he felt a protective spark flood into him and he fired again, not caring if he harmed the girl or not. The bullet just nicked the shoulder, tearing her clothes from the force. Luckily for her, it wasn't deep enough to create a gash through her skin. Haru jumped, immediately reaching up to touch the spot, a little bit of fear finally beginning to surface in her eyes.

The hitman hopped down from his once comfortable spot, landing onto the center of Tsuna's lap. "You're annoying." He flopped down, leaning over to use one of Tsuna's legs as a pillow and closed his eyes, feeling content in the hold.

The brunet shifted slightly, but otherwise remained still, letting the hitman do what he pleased. As long as he could continue reading his book, he was perfectly fine. Haru, however, seemed absolutely shocked and stared ahead at the odd two. Her legs were shaking, knowing there was clearly something wrong with them, but didn't say anything else. Reborn could wield a gun effortlessly, if Haru could actually wrap her mind around it, and Tsuna didn't care, looking unaffected. There was seriously something wrong with this family.

Half of her wanted to run far, far away and forget her mission, but the other half wanted to stay. She wanted to stay for Reborn, the cute adorable baby that just had the ability to make her swoon, and then there was the family…Determination quickly filled her, finding the spark she needed to keep going. She would find out what was going on with this group, no matter what, even if she had to stalk them at every turn to get the truth out of the hidden darkness.

Tsuna almost wanted to sigh, but resisted despite watching Haru leave his room to start her gathering. "She'll be back."

"Yep." Reborn remained in his curled up spot, too comfy to move.

"Damn…" The brunet's honey-colored eyes went back to his book, hoping that their next meeting wouldn't make him want to behead her.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by WhiteAngel128 and saphire644
> 
> Edited: 10/18/15

"Happy birthday, Reborn!"

Tsuna peered over his book momentarily to see streamers going up, out of party poppers, and congratulations being echoed around the room. He went back to his book to flip to the next page and ignored the rest of the conversation that was going on in the background. It wasn't as if it was important anyway. Tsuna only momentarily paid attention when the baby suddenly announced they were going to do a Vongola traditional birthday party with a point system. It was silly, but he expected nothing else from the not-so-sane Reborn. Everyone else went along, finding the game to be fun, except for Tsuna, who decided that it wasn't worth the effort.

He listened as Haru gave Reborn a t-shirt, happily cooing at the hitman while she got an eighty-five. She was still stalking the two of them like usual, though her attempts had died down over the days. However, every now and then, he would find her outside of his house, watching him through the window. Still, since it wasn't as annoying as before, he decided to let it pass, continuing to ignore the idiot. The gifts continued on as Takeshi presented Reborn with sushi for the main meal, earning eighty points, while Bianchi developed to use a new assassination technique with her pizza dough. This resulted in cutting most of the living room in half, including the TV, and got ninety points. It wasn't as eventful as one would expect, but then again, if one had to celebrate the same birthday over and over again as Reborn did, who would? Before long, it finally came to Tsuna.

"Tsuna, what did you get for me?" Reborn smirked, cocking Leon against his fedora, and watched the brunet carefully with his large black eyes. "Not giving anything is considered a forfeit and a zero. Those with a zero will die."

Tsuna sighed, closing his book to put it down, and went to the side to lift up a stack of three books he had carefully picked out that morning at the bookstore. Getting up with those in hand, he motioned Gokudera to hand them over, seeing as the silver-haired teen was directly between the two. "It's only part one of my present. You'll like those books." Tsuna muttered under his breath, watching as the hitman took an interest in the items, flipping to the summaries to read. Then the baby peered up at him curiously with an eyebrow raised.

"Part one?"

"The other comes later."

Reborn tilted his head at that, Leon going back to crawling around the side of the fedora once it changed back into his reptile form. "Planning on telling me what this part two is about?"

"You'll just have to wait and see. It's a surprise after all." Tsuna didn't skip a beat, continuing to read his current book, while his eyes watched over everything carefully. Reborn blinked, still reading over the summaries of the books, knowing full well they would quickly capture his attention if he dared to open one. It would be best to save his reading until later on when the whole birthday was over. Gokudera's present was next, doing a flashy show of his dynamites, though to everyone else it looked like fireworks, and they clapped in approval. Reborn gave him an eighty and watched in amusement when the storm and rain guardian began to argue at the sides, though it was more on Gokudera's part. At the current time on the score board, Lambo's present was one with the lowest score with only a one. Tsuna's wasn't on the board yet due to the fact that his was not complete. Still, the party went on.

"Okay everyone, cake time!" Nana called out, stepping into the room with a large cake in her hands, coated evenly with white and blue icing. The words 'Happy Birthday Reborn' was written on the top in perfect curvy handwriting and the cake was carefully placed down onto the middle of the table. She smiled happily at the sight of everyone and pulled out a knife from her apron to begin cutting, getting the slices as evenly divided as possible.

"Gyahaha! Lambo will have the first and biggest piece!"

"Hahi! Lambo, stop that! It's Reborn's birthday, he should get the first piece." Haru scolded, grabbing onto the boy before he could race off.

But the cow child wouldn't have it. "No! Lambo should get the first piece, Lambo is greater than Reborn!"

"Stupid cow, it's Reborn's birthday so shut up!" Gokudera sneered, slamming his fist down onto the top of the head, his hand sinking into that puffy hair. Immediately, the five-year old began to bawl, making half the room's occupants sigh in frustration except for Haru, who was scolding the storm guardian for hitting a child. However, what they didn't expect was Lambo pulling out a familiar-looking purple bazooka, still screaming and crying out for attention. Tsuna remained where he was at, looking up dully as if he was expecting something, and placed his book down to the side. He watched as everything went by slowly with those attentive eyes of his, Gokudera shoving the bazooka aside just as the child pressed the trigger. But no one had registered the fact of where Lambo's aim had been turned to until it was too late.

Reborn's eyes widened when he finally noticed where the bazooka was pointing at and barely had time to react when it went off, watching as Tsuna was engulfed in pink smoke. The room went silent, even Lambo had shut up, and waited for the end result. Those that knew the ten-year bazooka's effects couldn't help but have a feeling of curiosity as to how older Tsuna would appear. There was a shift in the smoke, clear that someone was inside, and soon a hand reached out. It made a small wave and the rest of the smoke vanished from some sort of wind, clearing out the area.

What appeared from within the smoke made everyone paused and stared. Tsuna, no, older Tsuna, was taller than before and more mature-looking. Though he still had that baby fat on those features, it seemed to compliment him just perfectly. The hair was longer, just as Reborn remembered from before, but seeing Tsuna actually standing up tall and strong with a calm but imposing aura around him made him stop breathing. The eyes were still the same, but narrower and it was clear to Reborn that they showed Tsuna was years beyond his actual age. The clothes were that of a black, long-sleeved button-up shirt with a white vest covering on top, and long pressed white pants with black leather shoes. Though he was still short due to his blood inheritance, he was able to appear taller than anyone else with his imposing looks. A white cape was wrapped around his shoulders with two gold clasps at the front to hold them together. The short end of it went down to just above his elbows while the back continued downwards to just before touching the ground with the insides of the cape being a deep red. All in all, he had a professional look, one that Reborn had hoped to see on his student for a long time.

"Tsuna-sama?" Gokudera was the first one to speak, looking over his future boss happily as his eyes sparkled brilliantly from his position.

At those words, Tsuna shifted, his honey-colored eyes with a mixed hue of orange peered around the room, examining everything carefully before stopping at Reborn. It was like he was registering his surroundings. "I see, so I'm currently in the past right now. Right on time, I guess." His right hand immediately went behind his back, grasping a glove, and pulled it over his fingers before anyone could see his hand. Reborn narrowed his eyes at that, knowing full well it prevented him from seeing if the Vongola sky ring was being bared on either middle finger. So Tsuna had been prepared, however, that didn't stop him from noticing a gold thin band on the left hand, on the ring finger.

'So he got married. It was to be expected, but to who?' Reborn continued to watch the brunet carefully, knowing that he wasn't going to pull his attention away any time soon. This older version of Tsuna was different, but…he couldn't help thinking that this Tsuna was more closed off than the one he had seen. Why? He didn't understand why the older Tsuna had been more open to him before than now.

"Hahi! Where's Tsuna? Is this some sort of magic trick?" Haru was the next person to speak up about the newcomer, unable to help but stare. Older Tsuna was incredibly handsome and had an aura that made people _want_ to pay attention to him. Even Bianchi was staring as well, impressed with how the once-teenager had grown up to be in the future.

The brunet just nodded as a greeting, his expression still as dull as ever, and peered at the cake. During the process of his arrival, the bazooka had been dropped onto the cake by Gokudera, splattering it under the weight of the weapon. "Let me fix that for you," Snapping his fingers, a small glow appeared around the cake, momentarily surrounding it. Within seconds, the bazooka was at the side, all clean, and the dessert was back to normal as if nothing had happened. "Now then, if I remember correctly, I was supposed to be part two of Reborn's present."

This made Reborn pause. "Past Tsuna knew?"

Older Tsuna turned back to him, stepping closer, moving around the group carefully. His cape fluttered behind him and he seemed to radiate at each step. "We always knew. The future is just something we can easily see into with little to no trouble, however, that is not what I am here for. The explanations you desire will be given to you in the future. Today is your day," He kneeled down before Reborn, reaching up with his gloved hand, and cupped the hitman's cheek like he had done before the last time they had met. The sun Arcobaleno was holding a cup of espresso in his other hand and watched as Tsuna leaned in, his lips close to the ear. Soon, he whispered so that only the two of them could hear, "You know, Reborn, curses are always meant to be broken."

As soon as he said those words, Reborn's eyes widened considerably and his grip on his drink slipped from his fingers due to the shock. However, Tsuna reacted, knowing this would happen, and tapped the bottom of the cup, holding it up with one finger. Leaning over once more, he pressed his lips against a puffy cheek, just above his hand, before pulling away and giving a small smile. The effect of it seemed to cause the same reaction within the hitman, his heart speeding up rapidly at the sight of it. "Happy birthday, Reborn."

Pulling away, before anyone could question what had happened, that pink smoke surrounded him. Reborn managed to pull himself back together just in time to take grasp of the situation, tightening his grip before he lost his drink to the floor. There was a settled silence among the group and as the younger Tsuna reappeared, looking slightly flustered, other questions were raised.

"Tsuna, what happened to you?" Takeshi crawled closer, taking in the ruffled clothes and hair that was scattered in multiple directions. A dust of red settled on his cheeks and Tsuna simply shook his head, licking his lips as if tasting something, before settling down at his previous spot.

"I got attacked." He simply stated, running a hand through his hair to smooth it back into its usual style.

"Attacked?" Gokudera spoke up, looking almost ready to jump up to his feet to defend his boss. "By who? Just let me know and I'll take care of it!"

"It's fine, there's no need to do anything," Tsuna muttered, reaching out for his book. However, his hand accidentally missed it and Reborn was the only one to notice. It was obvious that the brunet was beyond flustered, but why, was the question. Those honey-colored orbs turned towards him once more and he stared with that unwavering gaze of his. "Did you get the second part of your present?"

'Second part? Oh…' Reborn felt like he was shaking, though his iron grip on his body still remained, but that didn't stop the sensations within him from spilling out throughout his entire body. "Y-Yeah, one hundred points." He noticed the amused smirk on the brunet, but didn't pay any attention to it, the words still ringing in his ears. So the curse had been broken sometime between now and ten years. A fluttering feeling of happiness slipped into his heart. He could wait for that to happen. After all, he had plenty of time to work with.

"What did Tsuna say, Reborn?" Bianchi leaned forward, curiosity obvious on her face, with her eyebrows narrowed in suspicion. When the baby didn't answer, she asked again. "Reborn?"

"Huh? Nothing, he said nothing." It was obvious Reborn had lied, but no one dared to say anything further, going back to the party to enjoy the cake. The hitman glanced up momentarily to stare at his student, his eyes full of wonder, before shaking his head. No, he couldn't have those thoughts right now. There were still other things to finish first. Reborn nodded to himself, yeah, he could focus about anything else later on.

* * *

Reborn had just been enjoying his fresh cup of espresso when he heard a familiar sound, the sound of the ten-year bazooka activating and switching the present with the past version of someone. He cursed. It was supposed to be his birthday too, well, so much for his plans for the day. His eyes peered up at the teenager who stepped in as the pink smoke faded away, Tsuna's form obvious to identify even though he looked physically younger. He licked his lips. Perhaps this wouldn't be too bad of a birthday.

When Tsuna took notice of the hitman who was settled elegantly on the couch, he had to do a double-take on the situation. Reborn wasn't a baby, no, he was an adult, complete in form and ability. His legs were crossed and he was sipping quietly on his drink without a care in the world. The hitman was, in a sense, handsome with looks that would make any woman or man want to bow down to.

"It's good to see you, little Tsuna. Or should I call you Sorcerer King?"

Tsuna narrowed his eyes, he was being mocked, he knew that, and yet he didn't feel like lashing out towards the one who would dare do such a thing. The tone within the hitman's voice was gentle, fond in nature, and…warm? Shaking his head at the thoughts, he stepped closer, knowing full well that Reborn's eyes were on him completely, and watched as the hitman placed down his cup to the side on a table. The man simply chuckled and leaned forward when Tsuna got close enough to pull the brunet onto his lap, forcing the other to straddle him. There was some slight struggling on Tsuna's end, not comfortable with this position, and Reborn held his hands on the hips to hold the other down.

"I think I like this position better. Don't you think so, my King?" Reborn smirked, licking his lips as he took in the adorable features on the brunet, enjoying the sight before him. He wished he had more time, five minutes wasn't enough to ravish the cute brunet on his lap. Leaning up, he went for the kiss, pressing their lips together desirably, immediately leaving the other almost speechless. His hands began to wander, riding up from those thin delicious hips to the skin underneath the shirt, warm and soft to touch. A gasp was rewarded for his efforts along with the arching of the body against him. Reborn grinned happily into the kiss, pushing his tongue in to map the insides of that hot cavern greedily. It was wonderful, addicting, and he wanted more. He nudged at the tongue, trying to get it to move with him, move against him, and it did. Tsuna attempted to fight back, but was quickly pushed back by Reborn, who took complete control of the situation.

When the kiss was broken for air, Tsuna was breathing deeply, ragged, and blushing madly like a schoolgirl. His fingers had found their way onto Reborn's dress shirt, wanting to yank that tie off and undress to see the muscular skin underneath. His eyes trailed down, looking over every inch of Reborn's adult body until his eyes settled on a rings on the right hand. His attention snapped and reached down, yanking it up to stare. "This is…"

The hitman pulled back, hiding his hand behind Tsuna's back where he could no longer get to.

However, it was already too late, the brunet had recognized the rings the moment he saw them. "This is a wedding ring with the insignia of the Sorcerer King on it and proof that you're the Sorcerer King's advisor…"

Reborn huffed and tightened his grip on Tsuna's back to prevent him from seeing anymore that didn't need to be announced just yet. He went in for another kiss, trying to distract the other, and it barely worked. He could feel Tsuna trying to reach around, going for his right hand, but he kept it away, and instead bit down on the bottom lip. A moan reached his ears, momentarily distracting Tsuna from doing anything else. And then the pink smoke surrounded the brunet, taking him away from Reborn's hips.

The hitman hummed in disappointment, losing his fun, and felt the weight on him disappear, only to be replaced with something heavier. Reborn smirked, now he had something much better in return. The older Tsuna was straddling him the same way as the past version, those wonderful eyes staring down at him, and he grinned.

"Did you give him the message?" Reborn asked, looking quite comfortable, and went over to pick up his espresso again for another sip, enjoying the warmth it brought as it went down his throat. The older Tsuna chuckled, shifting his body into a more relaxed position, and unhooked one of the clasps on his cape, letting it fall back.

"Yes, and myself?"

"Loud and clear."

Tsuna smirked, cupping Reborn's chin up so that he could stare into those deep black eyes. As he did so, his fingers brushed along the left side of Reborn's neck, undoing the spell he had placed there to cover a tattoo, one he had personally placed. It was the same symbol that the younger Tsuna had seen on the ring, black in color. Tsuna's fingers pulled away and reached up to push Reborn's cup slightly away to get a better view of the man's face and smiled. "To think we have to set our younger selves up. How funny. What an interesting game this came out to be."

"Only you would think of this as a game."

"But you do as well. I believe you were enjoying yourself with the younger me."

"Can't deny such a cute sight."

Tsuna simply chuckled.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by WhiteAngel128 and saphire644
> 
> Edited: 10/18/15

Reborn peered down at the brunet curiously, looking over those sleeping features while being settled next to him. Tsuna's arms were wrapped around him just right to not be disturbed by his change in position, but were still tight enough that Reborn couldn't escape that easily without waking the other up. The rest of the party had progressed like normal with the cake going around with some laughter here and there. Dinner came a few hours later, but nothing had changed and, despite Reborn's curiosity towards the brunet, he had done nothing. In turn, Tsuna kept to himself and would just read his books far away from the chaos. Every now and then, when Reborn could catch him out of the corner of his eyes, Tsuna would touch his lips with a slight redness dancing on his cheeks as if remembering something. At first, it left Reborn confused as to why Tsuna would be doing such a thing until he realized it later on. He sneered angrily, someone had kissed Tsuna and he was tempted to demand who had done such a thing before stopping. It wasn't his issue on whoever Tsuna fell in love with after all, it was the brunet's choice. With that in mind, he went back to the party, trying to concentrate on everything besides his wandering thoughts on the brunet.

It was odd how far their relationship had progressed from the beginning where they had started out as enemies and tried to bite at each other's throat. Neither had been happy about their situation, but soon, as days passed, they settled into a routine and started talking. And before long, began to bond. It was a slow process and it definitely had plenty of bumps on the road. There had been too many times where they had been against each other, Reborn wanting nothing more than to actually put a bullet through Tsuna's head and the brunet wanting to tear the other apart. It was clear that there was still more to come, but it was obvious that they were relaxing and talking more about their unsettled issues towards each other. They were still working on a few things here and there though.

He peered at the clock, noting that it was still October 13th, and rolled around in his spot so that he could face his student better. Tsuna had his eyes closed shut, slumbering away as if nothing was wrong, and was relaxed despite having an assassin beside him. This was normal though and for some odd reason, the brunet fell asleep a lot faster and deeper whenever he was physically there beside him.

At the same time, it worked like a charm towards himself as well. Reborn found himself being comforted in those arms, unable to tear himself away from that warmth. He always knew it was best to wake up early to start the day, but he found it hard many times to actually get up in the first place. The warm grasp was far too welcoming and engulfing to get out of and he would sleep in on the weekends or school days that Tsuna wanted to skip without a care.

This night, Reborn couldn't fall asleep. He had plenty of things being questioned within his mind, especially about the present Tsuna had given him. His curse…he would do almost anything to be free from it, to be able to be himself again. This form was humiliating, a mockery to the once proud being he had been. Now he was just an empty shell desperately clinging to the hope of returning back to what he had been before. Though he had adjusted to this form, it had taken many years to do so and, despite taking advantage of being in it, that didn't stop him from feeling that way.

He knew he would die in this form, he had suspected it from the very beginning when it first happened. It was too obvious, too clear, but the hope for a return remained heavy in his heart. It was human to wish for a change and then those words adult Tsuna had spoken, it had given him the hope he had been looking for, the hope of wanting to be normal again. Reborn bit his bottom lip, he couldn't be having these sort of sensations or thoughts at this point of time - it would just get in the way. He had a student to train and a mission to complete.

Still… The hitman almost sighed, running a hand through his hair, and heard Leon slip down from the nightstand where his fedora had been to lick his cheek. He blinked his large eyes, looking at his old friend questionably, before reaching up to pet him fondly, almost giving a smile. Leon shifted through the hand a little bit before moving back to his perch, finding his job done for the night, and curled around the top of the hat. Reborn almost chuckled in amusement and peered back up at the clock. It was one minute after twelve. Smirking to himself, he tapped Tsuna on the forehead, hard enough to wake him up, and rubbed gently afterwards. He could feel the brunet stirring beside him, the arms tightening their grasp on his tiny body before relaxing, and watched as tired but curious honey-colored eyes fluttered open. It took a moment for them to focus, but once they did, they snapped up to Reborn, blinking questionably, and gave the unmentioned question of 'what' towards the hitman.

Reborn smirked, shifting in the grasp. "Happy birthday, Tsuna."

Tsuna just stared as if he was processing the words before he tilted his head. Reborn couldn't help but raise an eyebrow up at the strange reaction, expecting the other to say something rather than nothing. Eventually, the brunet nodded his head in acknowledgement, shifting slightly in the covers, and pulled an arm back so he could move his body. "Thank you."

The hitman was still finding the response lacking. It was like Tsuna was surprised to be told those words, looks like he would need to do some investigation on the family a little more. "Do you want your present now?"

A faint smile appeared on the brunet's lips, almost looking like he was about to chuckle, and peered up at the clock. It was late and he had to go to school tomorrow. "Can it be…opened first thing in the morning? It's quite late."

The hitman hummed to himself, drawing out the silence, before nodding. He could go with that. "I guess it can wait but you'd better open mine first. I'll blow you up if you don't."

"Alright, thank you." Tsuna began to drift off, cuddling back into his covers, but not before reaching out to grasp Reborn's tiny body. Using the surprise to his advantage, he had his arms wrapped loosely around the sun Arcobaleno's body once more, holding him like a teddy, and pulled him close to his chest with his chin touching the spiky black hair. Reborn squirmed slightly before adjusting into the hold, used to this occurring so often ever since he started sleeping in Tsuna's bed. The older Tsuna had been right - his student had softened up slightly and was less destructive towards him. He hadn't originally thought it would work.

Reborn maneuvered his body so that he could cuddle closer and shifted the blankets just right to keep him covered. He felt Tsuna go still, knowing the brunet was fast asleep and soon after, closed his eyes, allowing himself to fall into the warmth of having another person beside him. He missed being close to someone like this…

* * *

Tsuna blinked in surprise as he peered down at the baby in his arms and raised an eyebrow at the sight. This was the first time he had ever woken up before Reborn, even more so to see the Arcobaleno cuddling up against him looking so small and helpless. It was kinda cute. The brunet, of course, knew better. Reborn was _far_ from being helpless, but sleeping that way just made him think so.

Reaching over quietly, he touched one of the curls and began to twirl it in his fingers, spinning it around. It was amusing to watch that strand spring back into position, bouncing lightly in response. He did it a few more times before he moved to the face, making a small poke into the chubby cheek that was visible and not crushed against his arm. His finger sunk in, but he did it gently to not offend the hitman.

"Tell me, should I break that finger of yours?"

Tsuna almost chuckled at that. "You'll do that to the birthday boy? That's very cruel of you."

"Then you shouldn't be touching my cheeks like that. I should have broken your finger when you touched my signature curls," Reborn opened his eyes and peered up at his supposed-student with a slight glare. He pulled away from the warmth and rolled around so that he could sit up easier, getting out of the grasp. They had a good hour before the alarm sprung to life. "Next time, don't expect to get away with it."

The brunet didn't answer and peered at the clock for a moment, not really interested in school. 'Maybe I can go in late today…or skip again.' It wasn't as if there was going to be something to do. Regardless, he still had plenty of time and so, he snuggled back into his blankets to head back to sleep. He was hoping that today would be peaceful without too many interruptions, explosions mainly and maybe some idiots too, but he doubted that.

"Don't go back to sleep, Tsuna. You're supposed to open my present first thing in the morning." The hitman huffed, jumping down from the bed in his pajamas, and made his way over to a drawer at the far left corner of the room. He hopped up onto the top and pulled out one of the drawers to take out a medium-sized wrapped box. With no hesitation, he threw it over, aiming directly at Tsuna's forehead, only to be stopped. The brunet held the box in hand, staring at the yellow-colored wrapping with an orange ribbon around it. Slowly, he sat up, letting the blankets pool around his waist, and lifted the item up higher with care, his curiosity spiked. His fingers quickly made work of the wrapping and lifted the top of the container to look inside to see what Reborn of all people had gotten him.

Tsuna blinked and stared in question, looking over the object within.

Reborn smirked at the response. "I thought it would complement you. You look good in white and orange."

"Oh…" The taller of the two continued to stare as he took in his present. His fingers gripped tightly into the warm material, a hoodie with it almost completely orange in color except for a few white lines to give it more design. It was simple, but effective. Immediately, Tsuna put it on, wanting to try it out, and pulled the bottom end down to pop his head out from the top. His arms went in next, going through the holes, and settled it just right over his body, examining it closely. It fit perfectly, nothing too baggy and nothing too tight. Reborn mentally grinned, knowing he had been correct about Tsuna's size, and jumped closer, peering up at his handiwork. Before long, he found himself looking at a soft and warm smile, something he had only seen on the older version of Tsuna, and stared. It was…odd and yet, it warmed him up at the thought of being the only one to see it. "Thank you. I really like it."

"You're welcome. I don't normally do such things for my students, but I'll make the exception for you."

Tsuna just continued to smile, looking over everything on his new jacket carefully. As he did that, Reborn quickly changed into his normal suit and hopped up onto the nightstand to retrieve his fedora, tucking his hair within. When he believed he looked his best, he went across the bed, well aware that Tsuna was now observing him, wondering what he was going to do next. They still had about thirty minutes left until the alarm rang.

"Would it be alright to go to school late today? I already know the material they'll be teaching today," Tsuna spoke, running a hand through his front hair to smooth it down. "And anyway, classes will be starting late today. Nezu will be having an accident on the way to school."

Reborn seemed to have a problem with that. He didn't allow skipping or arriving late, never. However, more than likely, Tsuna already knew the material and would never fall behind no matter how many days he skipped. The brunet was just too smart for his own good. If anything, Tsuna could easily jump ahead in grades if he didn't skip school, maybe even be graduating already. Also, if Tsuna said that classes were going to be late, it wouldn't be an issue then. Shrugging his shoulders, Reborn would tolerate it for today. It was Tsuna's birthday after all.

"Fine, I'll allow it." The hitman allowed himself to be picked up and get cuddled against the brunet, not minding the touch he was already used to. Even when Tsuna collapsed back into bed to continue sleeping, Reborn went along. It was too warm to resist.

* * *

"Good morning, Tsuna, Reborn!" Nana smiled at the sight of the two, greeting them both equally as she began to work on breakfast at the stove. It was like she didn't mind the fact that they had both come down late, not bothered at all. She turned back to humming to herself before heading towards Lambo to help him up onto a seat at the kitchen table. Reborn hopped down onto the tabletop from Tsuna's arms and sat in his usual spot while Tsuna moved around the room. The brunet was still dressed in his new jacket, quite fond of it, and came back into the kitchen with a book in hand. He opened it once he sat down, flipping the pages as he read, and went quiet.

Throughout the entire time, not once did Nana notice the new jacket even as other people began to filter into the house. Gokudera and Takeshi chatted among each other like usual, arguing about one thing or another, before it was cut off when Bianchi arrived while Tsuna continued to be silent. It wasn't long before the group had to go to school despite being an hour late, but neither guardians paid any attention nor cared. Reborn watched the entire time, looking at everyone for any signs of remembering what day it was, but throughout it, he got nothing but smiles. He made a 'tch' in the back of his throat, tilting his fedora downwards.

Tsuna eventually changed out of the jacket, settling for his school uniform, and headed out of the house. He walked in the middle of the two, keeping silent as he listened to the two continued to go on, while holding Reborn in his arms. When they got to school, they slipped by the disciplinary committee and everything seemed to go as it normally would, that was, until they got to class.

The brunet was the first one to enter, opening the door gently with one hand, and peered inside the classroom. He momentarily twitched when all eyes suddenly turned to him. Some were accusing, believing he had been the reason why their teacher still hadn't arrived, while others seemed to be just staring curiously about something. Tsuna silently sighed and went forward, wanting to just continue his book, ignoring the looks. While he was passed by, Gokudera and Takeshi weren't. They were attacked by their admirers the moment they entered the room behind, the squeals irritating to the brunet's ears. He drowned out the voices, slipping towards the back where his desk was at. However, the moment he arrived, he paused.

"Looks like someone has a death wish." Reborn remarked, hopping out of the grasp as he landed gracefully on the desk. His black eyes examined the place intently, looking over everything. On the desk were various markings made by either permanent markers or scratched in by a small knife so that they could never be rubbed off. Everything that was written stated the same thing from 'Cursed-Tsuna' to 'Get out'. Reborn narrowed his eyes in irritation and found the handwriting similar in the way the words were written, meaning this could only have been done by one person. This was the first time he had ever seen a moron done something like this to Tsuna of all people. While the hitman was thinking, the brunet stared at the writings with uninterested eyes then looked up, momentarily going over the classroom, before finally sitting down.

"Tsuna-sama, your desk…" Gokudera muttered, standing beside his boss with narrowed eyes, looking like there was fire burning angrily behind him. In an instant, he yanked out his dynamites and began spilling curses everywhere, demanding for the perpetrator to surrender and die. Takeshi just stared from the side, eyes wide in disbelief, clearly not expecting someone to do something like that. He had thought people would learn by now to never mess with Tsuna in anyway. Then again, it had happened before in elementary school and many times after that. Tsuna wasn't the most well-liked person in the entire school, never had been.

"Gokudera," Tsuna's voice was harsh, silencing the silver-haired teen. He shook his head, letting his spiky brown locks bounced at the action. "It's fine. Head back to your seat. I already know who did it."

Whispers spread rapidly among the room, the classmates not believing that the brunet would be so calm about this while wondering who the moron was that would do something like this to Cursed-Tsuna. Gokudera immediately tried to argue back, but Takeshi helped by calming him down, dragging the other off towards his seat just as the front door opened, revealing their teacher. The room went silent at that, not wanting to get in trouble for speaking out loud before Nezu. Tsuna turned to Reborn, tilting his head slightly when he saw the hitman staring, before opening his book to continue where he had left off. The Arcobaleno was curious on what action the other would take. After all, they had only just entered the room and yet Tsuna already knew who did it. The outcome of this might be interesting to see.

* * *

"Did you hear what Cursed-Tsuna said?"

"Yeah, such a scary guy."

"Who do you think did it though?"

"Not sure. It was already there by the time I got in."

"Whoever it is must be suicidal."

"Yeah, I know."

* * *

Reborn was wandering around the school when lunch came around, already finished with his meal that Tsuna had shared with him, and was exploring the grounds surrounding the room. A few girls here and there made some cooing expressions towards him, but he ignored it all, his mind still on Tsuna's words. As he went further down the hallway, he came across a group of girls chattering about some boys in their class, gossiping about how hot they were to who they were going out with. It wasn't really his concern until he saw Tsuna coming out from around the corner.

The hitman went towards the brunet automatically and noticed immediately that the gaze wasn't on him. No, it was on the females who were close by that he had just passed. Tsuna leaned down, letting Reborn hop up into the waiting arms, making himself comfortable, and stood back up. The hitman spoke, "Which one?"

"The middle. I've already set her curse."

Reborn hummed gently to himself, his eyes trained on the person to watch the results, and he saw it. The middle girl stepped back to lean against a window behind when suddenly, the hinges that held it up snapped. His eyes widened in surprise as he watched the girl slipped through the open window, her body swinging over the ledge. It had happened so fast that he didn't even hear a scream from her, much less see a reaction from her friends and then she vanished behind the wall, disappearing from sight. His sharp ears picked up a loud crash, of glass breaking, and then a loud bang. The air went still and finally, when her friends realized what had happened, they began to scream. Their voices echoed throughout the hallway, catching everyone's attention.

"Tsuna… you…" Reborn could barely find the words on what to say, he hadn't thought the brunet would go that far. The girl had fallen two stories and he didn't dare to think on what position she had landed in when he saw her fall head-first. Various bloody distorted images of the poor girl flooded his mind for a moment before he shoved them away, knowing better than to think ahead of himself before seeing the real image.

"She's not dead. I didn't kill her. That would be going too far for something as simple as vandalizing." The brunet muttered under his breath, stepping towards the window as everyone began to open the doors to the classroom to find out what all the screaming was about. Teachers were rushing around, trying to keep the students from coming out of the rooms, while students shoved themselves forward to rush to the windows. They crowded the walls, questions thrown around wildly, while others were screaming at the sight of their friend's destroyed body splattered on the ground below. Reborn's eyes examined the situation carefully when he got a good view of it, almost laughing when no one dared to touch the brunet, giving a good perimeter of empty space.

However, he could grin about that later, his concern was on the body before him. There on the ground was the twisted body of the girl, bones broken from the fall, and she had her limbs placed in various impossible ways. She wasn't moving, unconscious, and was bleeding in various spots from landing on the glass below. When he examined closer, her head had been lucky to land on the thick part of the grass, something Tsuna had most likely considered in location. If anything, Reborn would think she was dead if it wasn't for Tsuna's words and as he stared, he spotted small movements of the chest, alerting him that she was still breathing. "She has multiple broken bones, some brain trauma and a concussion. It will take her months to recover, but she'll be back to normal. The damage on her won't be long lasting."

Reborn took in the information and nodded his head as he felt himself being moved away by Tsuna, no longer interested in the setting anymore. Despite knowing that this was dreadful, he couldn't stop the passing thought that she deserved this, that she deserved what she got. Stupid child.

No one bothered Tsuna for the rest of the day except for his guardians and even Kyoko remained far away as if fearing the end results. It was clear that the rumors of Cursed-Tsuna's deeds were spreading rapidly, but no one could pinpoint that it was indeed him, not even the teachers or the police. After all, the window's hinges were weakened due to the screws coming loose on the other side. It could be nothing more than an accident.

* * *

Soon, dinner began to roll around and the hitman was beginning to lose his temper over the situation. It was irritating how no one had acknowledged what day it was, especially Nana, of all people. He knew he shouldn't be letting this get to him, no, _Tsuna_ should be the one getting angry. Except he didn't, the brunet did nothing but remain quiet.

Clicking his gun when he finally snapped and had enough, Reborn took aim at the children, the guardians, and anyone else that saw him. Even Bianchi had backed away in fear, having never been on the receiving end of the barrel of Reborn's gun. Tsuna was the only one who was willing to come near him without a care and lifted the baby up into his arms to wander around the neighborhood. It was obvious what the brunet was trying to do and the hitman quieted down a little, still seething within. He had expected better from everyone even more so from the guardians and they did nothing but dissolve his expectations in them.

"You'd better have no complaints when I double their training." Reborn sneered, tilting his fedora downwards, as Leon flicked its tongue at the brunet.

"Do what you like." Tsuna made his way into a grocery store, walking down the aisles as he peered over the various items. He wasn't exactly hungry since he just had dinner, but he wanted something to snack on that would distract both his and Reborn's thoughts on everything else. The hitman remained quiet, managing to control his rising temper, but he was finding it harder when it came to the brunet, his student. Anything to do with him just brought out more emotions than before.

The teen eventually passed the fruits and vegetables section, examining the prices of each items before stopping at the pomegranates. He blinked. They were apparently on sale, though money had never been an issue. He had more than enough to pay for whatever he wanted, even with Reborn's high-class tastes, due to Nana's overgenerous nature in giving allowance. Still, even though he had money, there was no telling if the fruits were ripe or not. Placing Reborn down to the side, he lifted up the fruits one by one, giving each a squeeze before deciding to keep one or place it to the side since it was either under or overripe. The hitman remained quiet, watching with interest, before moving to the side to grab a clear plastic bag to put the fruits in.

"Wait, Reborn, please get me four bags." Tsuna called out, placing his growing pile to the side, as his eyes were drifted over other fruits along the aisle. The hitman grabbed what he was told and came back, hopping onto the brunet's shoulder. Placing six pomegranates inside, Tsuna twirled the bag to cut it off and tagged the center with one of the stickers that were around the section to keep it from reopening.

"What else are you getting?"

"Oranges, peaches, and plums."

"Get more oranges, I like those the best."

"Sure."

At the end of the grocery trip, Tsuna racked up a bill of around 2000 yen for six pomegranates, ten oranges, eight peaches and plums. He made sure there was an even number to divide between him and Reborn for sharing purposes and held the bags in both hands, Reborn on his shoulder. The walk back was quiet and when they got home, the two settled into Tsuna's bedroom, away from everyone else, with the table out in the center to munch on their goods of the day. The brunet would help peel off the surrounding skin of the oranges or cut the pomegranates in half for better access. Either way, the way they sat on the floor peacefully, enjoying themselves seemed almost natural.

Still, despite Tsuna's attempt in trying to calm the other down, if that was what he was doing, the hitman was still enraged. The day was nearly over and yet, not a single congratulation of any kind.

The next day, Reborn held up to his words and made everyone's life a living hell. No one was spared, except for Nana. However, he gave punishment in terms of harsh words, scolding the woman for forgetting her son. As for the rest, he made sure to give them a few deep gashes on their skin and a couple of bruises that would last for at least two weeks. He didn't let up in his torture until he felt satisfied with what he had done and patted his hands in satisfaction before returning to Tsuna's arms where he was normally at.

It wasn't until a few days later that the group finally learned about Tsuna's birthday and though they tried to make up for it, it was clear that they were all too late.

* * *

Tsuna found himself getting more and more used to having Reborn around him, to the point where he didn't care that the hitman was living in the same room, much less sleeping in the same bed. He wasn't even bothered when the baby decided to use his lap as a pillow, too. His eyes peered down at the sleeping toddler with an eyebrow raised, a book in his hands, and wiggled his nose. Yes, too used to it. It would look funny if there was anyone else, but they were all alone in the bedroom, no one to disturb either of them, and Tsuna hadn't really cared all that much. Reborn had and will always be a quiet person despite trying to make his life hell. Leaning back against the bed railings behind him, he tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling, stretching his neck back and then peered down at Reborn.

The eyes were closed shut and the hitman was curled up against him happily like nothing was wrong with the world. Placing his book temporarily down, he reached over to run his fingers through the black spiky hair, enjoying the feeling while it lasted. It wasn't often that he was allowed to do something like this to the normal uptight baby. Reborn seemed to shift at the feeling, almost like he was squirming, and fluttered his eyes open for a moment. They peered up at Tsuna curiously as if observing the situation before shifting around in his spot to fall back asleep.

Leon and the fedora were at the side, left alone, while the two remained on the floor. Tsuna almost wanted to laugh at the response he got, but held it in and continued to play with the hair. He went for the curls, twirling them around his finger, before letting them spring back out automatically. Playing with those a couple more times, he went back to the spikes, gently pulling at the tips as if trying to straighten them out further than before. Reborn didn't seem to care despite his last promise of breaking his fingers if he ever touched the curls again and continued to sleep as if dead to the world.

There were some noises from around the house, Lambo running amok downstairs and the sounds of utensils from the kitchen reached their ears. Regardless, nothing seemed to bother them at all. Tsuna hummed slightly to himself and tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling once more. He was starting to feel sleepy, probably because he had been sitting in the same spot for such a long time and doing nothing but stare at the hitman. His eyes momentarily drifted to the clock, taking in the time. He had a good hour or so before dinner, that was plenty of time to catch a nap. Nodding to himself in agreement, he reached down carefully to pull Reborn away while keeping a loose grasp to not startle the other awake. He shifted his body so that he would be lying down and with a flick of his wrist, a pillow from his bed came flying down, landing perfectly on the floor where his head was going to lie at. Relaxing into his spot, he shifted Reborn further up, holding onto him once more like usual and momentarily peered at the other. He stared for a few moments before finally deciding to take his nap, rubbing his face into the pillow happily.

Soon he was drifting off, eyes closed shut, with his breathing beginning to even out. Reborn budged in his spot, still looking asleep, and maneuvered around to get into a more comfortable position before reaching out to grab Tsuna's shirt. It would be easier for him to sleep like this and shifted closer towards his student's warm chest, giving a smile, before letting himself drift off once more. This was really the life.

* * *

"Oya?" A voice broke through the dark room, a young man sitting on the couch suddenly sat up in interest as if he had just felt something odd shifted in the air. He had been feeling those strange sensations for a while now and at long last, he was able to connect it. It's been a long time since he's felt this power and there were only a short list of people he knew that had something like this. He could literally count them on one hand. He lifted up something that looked like a white marshmallow and brought it up to his lips to toss it in. Chewing for a few moments, his lips curved up into a smirk and he leaned further back against the couch in delight. How amusing. He hadn't thought _he_ would show up here of all places, but then again, that aura shouldn't exist in the first place. Popping another marshmallow into his mouth, the man stood up and gave a stretch before heading towards a large map that was embedded into the wall. "Looks like this world just got a little more interesting~"

The man lifted up a hand, his forefinger outwards first and stabbed a single spot on said map. "Namimori, Japan it is. Wait for me, Sawada Tsunayoshi. I'm coming to see you soon, my old friend."


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by WhiteAngel128 
> 
> Edited: 10/18/15

"Good morning, Tsuna!"

The brunet blinked tiredly as he peered up after just exiting the front door, glancing at Takeshi for a moment before simply nodding his head as a greeting. He didn't exactly feel like doing anything else today and since it was the weekend, his laziness had multiplied. He wanted nothing more than to sleep the entire day away, but a simple promise from the day before ruined that all. 'Well, it isn't exactly a bad thing though'. Tsuna thought, closing the front door behind him. He could hear his mother's voice calling out to him, something along the lines of 'Have a nice day!' and stepped out onto the streets.

At this point of time, Reborn was currently nowhere in sight, having left to do something, muttering about an 'idiotic doctor who had gotten himself in trouble with the cops for harassment' under his breath. This left Tsuna alone with his guardians for the day. Not that he really minded. He had long grown used to their presence and began to add them into his daily equation of the day. Gokudera slipped around the corner a few moments later, looking disturbed and green in the face, Tsuna guessing he had seen Bianchi along the way over. The silver-haired teen wobbled to them and eventually managed to croak out a greeting to his beloved boss, ignoring the other teen beside him.

"So we're meeting up at my place to hang out and eat, right?" Takeshi grinned happily and raised his arms above his head, looking over the two. His eyes remained on Tsuna for a few moments longer when he realized that someone was missing. "Eh? Where's the kid?"

"Out. He'll join us when he's done with whatever." Tsuna dully spoke, heading off towards the direction of Takesushi with the others following right behind.

"Oh? That's good to hear. You and the baby are never too far apart," The rain guardian laughed lightly and quickened his steps to get in front. He twisted around, walking backwards. "It's like you can't have one without the other. You're like…Hmm, what's the word for it?" At that, Takeshi stared towards the sky into confusion, humming to himself like he was trying to spill out all the words he knew from his brain. Of course, he had never been really good with words in the first place.

"Tch," Gokudera grumbled, but didn't say anything else, hands within his pockets. He didn't exactly look pleased about the situation, he only wanted to follow Tsuna and be alone with him. 'Not that that's really possible, where Tsuna-sama is, sword idiot won't be too far behind.' Still, he was going to Takeshi's place to hang out like normal teenagers with nothing related to mafia or anything of the sort. There was no doubt it was something the silver-haired teen wasn't used to, much less, had the privilege of experiencing. In the dark world, it was either be killed or live on to see the next day. The whole idea of having a friendly gathering was, of course, the rain guardian's idea, but Gokudera couldn't find it within himself to disagree on it. It seemed like the more he was around Tsuna, the better he got to know him, or at least, it gave him the chances to do so.

The brunet was just too quiet of a person and the birthday incident was still clear within many of their minds. Tsuna had forgiven them immediately, not really bothered about birthdays in the first place, it was more like he didn't care for them at all. Those honey-colored eyes had just looked up to stare, blinking, before going back to his book. It was a relief to know that Tsuna wasn't mad at him, even Takeshi had the same feeling, but the torture that Reborn put them through afterwards had been a nightmare. They had bruises and cuts all over their body and the aches had lasted for almost a week, just lingering around now.

Tsuna kept in between the two as they walked down the street and peered down momentarily at his empty hands, tilting his head slightly to the side. It was…weird. It was just weird to not have anyone within them. Shaking his head at the thoughts, he went back to concentrating on his destination and passed by some fellow classmates, who ran for their lives with their expressions completely pale. Tsuna almost wanted to laugh at them, but resisted. Eventually, they made their way to the restaurant, quite late in the morning, and Tsuna paused to look over the place. It was currently quiet since it wasn't the busy hours and yet…he couldn't help but find something off.

"Tsuna?" Takeshi peered back curiously, a concerned look flashing through his eyes when he saw the brunet staring intently. "Is something wrong?"

At first, the sky guardian didn't answer, looking over everything carefully once more, before peering at his friend. "No, not that I can point out at this point of time. Let's go in." He took a few steps forward, getting the others to move, but he could see the worry within their eyes. Takeshi rubbed the back of his head, still concerned about Tsuna's momentary pause, and jogged forward, wanting to be the first one to enter. He held the entrance open for the others to follow behind and glanced into his home.

"Ah, Takeshi!" Tsuyoshi greeted the moment he saw his son step into the restaurant, giving a brilliant grin that was shared with Takeshi. Soon after, he watched as the rest of the crew come in from behind and momentarily put down his knife to leave the rest of the orders, which was only about one or two, to the other workers. It wasn't a busy time after all, no one else inside, and he was certain that they could handle everything for the time being. He went around the counter to greet everyone. "Tsuna, it's good to see you again," The man reached over and patted the brunet on the head, feeling a momentary tense under his fingers, before Tsuna relaxed into the touch. He chuckled in amusement at the reaction, finding it adorable, before finally turning his attention to the newcomer. "Ah, Gokudera, right?"

Takeshi blinked as he peered back at Gokudera, who let out a little grunt in return. "Oh, that's right. You never did get a good chance to really meet him since you're always so busy. Anyway, this is Gokudera Hayato, he's a transfer student from Italy and he's been here for a while already. I guess I never really got a good chance to introduce you to him, Dad."

"It's alright, you boys should come by more often, I don't mind." Tsuyoshi peered over the teenagers carefully, seeing nothing had changed despite the months that went by. He was actually a little happy to see an additional member to the group, though he hadn't really expected Smoking Bomb Hayato to be that said member. Still, it complemented the three regardless. While Tsuna was extremely quiet but harsh in nature, his own son would be cheerful and talkative. Now, with Gokudera added into the equation, he kept the group loud and explosive. It was a funny assembly to watch. His eyes peered up and took a glance around the restaurant by habit. "Well, since it's not busy, I'll make you three boys some sushi. On the house!"

"Cool! Thanks, Dad!" Takeshi motioned the group over to the bar, everyone sitting on the stools with Tsuna right in-between. The brunet didn't mind, nodding his head towards Tsuyoshi as thanks, and immediately pulled a book out of nowhere, beginning to read. He had been falling behind on his reading due to his newfound friends constantly interrupting him, but he didn't mind it as much as he used to. Their constant presence was just something he grew into and went along with.

Gokudera grumbled in the background like usual, but eventually caught on, giving his own thanks for the free food, before his eyes watched as the sushi master began to do his performance. He sat there amazed at how fast and smoothly the older man worked, knowing the man must be a professional. Takeshi just laughed, enjoying the sight of seeing his father looking so happy and Gokudera's flabbergasted expression.

Tsuyoshi chuckled, glad to be able to show off his skills with a knife to his son and his friends, and continued to work on. It wasn't often that Takeshi would bring someone besides the brunet over like this and they would normally hang out at Tsuna's place than here. Also, to be completely honest on his side, he had been a little sore about his defeat by Tsuna, but he had taken it in with stride after a while, knowing that the brunet had abilities that were completely unnatural. It wasn't as if he could match someone of that level. He was good at short range, not long, which already left him at a great disadvantage. Still, with Tsuna having such abilities, he could depend on the brunet in keeping his son safe from harm, he was certain on that. Distracting himself from his thoughts, he swiftly cut through the fish at his fingertips, making each piece perfect in both size and shape.

Tsuna eventually glanced up, blinking those large eyes of his. It was like he had suddenly remembered something. "Ah, I'm sorry to ask this so late, but is it possible to make a portion for Reborn? He should be arriving soon."

"Ahaha, that's not a problem!" With that in mind, Tsuyoshi made sure to grab a little bit extra of everything for the fourth platter of sushi. It was peaceful as he worked, listening to the sounds of his knife hitting the cutting board, and turned his attention towards the teenagers every now and then. They were all doing their own things within their own minds, but of course, knowing them, something always had to happen.

"Eh, what's with this place?"

"Looks terrible."

The group of four along with a few workers who were at the front peered up curiously as they watched the front door was opened and the flaps shifted upwards. A group of teenagers, probably around seventeen to nineteen with a few older ones, stormed in, dressed in completely black clothes with a small dash of red mixed in. They wore mainly hoodies and opened jackets and there was a special design on the back, alerting the group that they were all together in a gang. Their pants were torn at the sides, revealing some skin underneath, and silver chains ran up and down their clothes, jiggling at each step. Tattoos rested on their arms and neck, the rest being covered by the clothes, and they gave a grunt as if the place they had walked into was disgusting. All in all, they were nothing more than troublemakers who looked like they had been kicked out of high school.

Gokudera almost growled, remaining where he was at though his hands were inching towards his hidden dynamites. It was already clear that this group was a bunch of pests that normal people wouldn't want to mess with and despised. The silver-haired teen recognized those special designs and shifted back to whisper to everyone, "I recognize them. They're a gang called the 'Shade', but they're just a bunch of idiots. They enjoy making trouble everywhere they go and are known for destroying private and public property as well as sexually harassing any females they see. There haven't been any reports of them actually going further than harassment, but they do threaten anyone they come across for their money and items."

Tsuyoshi, listening to the information passed around, tensed slightly, not liking the extra presences that could harm his home or workers. Still, he didn't do anything for the time being and continued to make the sushi, though he couldn't hide the slight sharpness in his eyes. Tsuna continued to flip through his book, ignoring the existence behind him, while Takeshi allowed his fingers to grip along his sheathed sword he always took with him.

A waitress, obviously scared of the group, stepped forward shakily and kept her distance. Her hands trembled and swallowed in fear. "H-Hello, h-how can I help you?"

The group of eight smirked at each other and one, presuming to be the leader, stepped forward. "Yeah, a damn table for eight. Shouldn't that be obvious?"

"Y-Yes, follow me." The waitress shuffled towards a table to the side and motioned them towards it. The group followed behind, but not before giving the woman a harsh shove to the side. Sadly, it didn't stop there. Another one of the members tried to reach out, obviously going towards her breast, and she automatically let out a little squeak in distress the moment she recognized the attempt, dashing off. She obviously didn't want to bother anymore with the group, who were laughing behind. She hid in the back of the store, peeking out as if making sure they weren't going to follow her.

It was then that Takeshi stepped up to the plate and took an order pad with him, making his way towards the same group. He gave a brilliant smile, but those familiar with him could see the strain on it. This wasn't exactly something he would do, but he'd rather it be him who confronted the group than the poor waitress. "Hello, what can I get for you?"

The group laughed amongst themselves in amusement before one them finally answered, "How about some beer?"

The black-haired teen didn't skip a beat. "I'm sorry, but you look too young to have alcohol and its quite early to be serving. You'll have to wait until noon to get something."

"Tch," The same person stood up and towered over the swordsman by a foot, giving out an angry growl.

Tsuyoshi slammed the end of his knife onto the cutting board a little harder, his eyes on the scene before him. He could no longer work like this, not until he could deem that everything was safe. He loved his son dearly and he wasn't going to allow anyone to hurt him as long as he was around. The two other teens continued on with what they were doing, except Tsuna who had been reading the same page for the past few moments, never flipping to the next. Gokudera already had his lighter out, ready for use.

Suddenly, the same gang member reached forward to grab hold of Takeshi's shirt, dragging him closer together so they could glare into each other's eyes. The teen let out a little hiss, startled by the sudden movement, and tried to keep his distance. Howover, the older one was obviously stronger, resulting in their faces being inches apart. Still, Takeshi didn't back down. "Now, don't be a little goody-two-shoes and do what you're told, you little shit."

There was a shove and Takeshi was pushed away, however, despite everything, he remained strong. The swordsman narrowed his eyes and was no longer smiling. Everyone else was watching carefully, unsure what was going to happen next. "Look, I'm sorry, but we have to follow the law. There's no underage drinking allowed here."

It was at that moment that the same gang member grabbed some of the empty glass bottles that had been left on another table, most likely previously occupied, and held it in his grasp tightly. It was clear what his intentions were and the rest of the gang just laughed. As he swung it down, Takeshi prepared himself, ready to defend…except he didn't need to.

The man's arm was held up, the bottle almost ten inches away from Takeshi's face, with a hand grasping tightly in the middle of the ulna side of the arm. The rain guardian let his eyes drift away from his enemy and along that hand until he met a familiar face. He had been fully expecting his father to be the one to stop the fight, but Tsuna? Tsuyoshi was already around the corner, fingering the sushi blade tightly in his fingers, while Gokudera had his explosives out, his lighter open.

Tsuna remained where he was at, his book nowhere in sight, and seemed quite calm despite what he had done. No change in expression flashed through and the brunet simply stared towards the offender, as if glaring. Of course, the gang member wasn't going to let this down without a few spoken words. "Hey, you little shit! How dare you get in my way?!"

The brunet suddenly moved, tightening his hold hard enough to get the other to drop the bottle which Takeshi caught. Within moments, he snapped his other arm upward, hitting straight into the elbow. A loud crack echoed in the silent restaurant and then a scream followed soon after. Tsuna released his grasp, watching as the fool tumbled back, landing onto the ground with his now broken arm. The limb bobbed around with no direction and the poor idiot backed up in horror. The gang member tried to get it to move properly, not even able to get his fingers to twitch, and continued to scream.

"My arm! My arm!"

The rest of Shade moved in response, except Tsuna was faster. He shifted through everyone, reaching the leader of the group within seconds. His left hand reached outward, grasping around the face, and squeezed, shoving the person onto the table. As he held the Shade leader down, his right went for a knife close by and spun it around in his fingers until the sharp end was pointed downwards in a fist. His movements were too fast for many to watch and the blade went sinking down, heading straight towards the man's left eye. Everyone went still at that, looking towards the two in horror. The knife, just an inch away from plunging into the orb, hung where it was at and Tsuna let a little smile crept onto his face.

"I just noticed you have some nice blue eyes." His voice, though soft, held malice that made everyone who listened to it shivered. No one moved, no one spoke, all eyes on the two. Tsuna wiggled his nose as he watched his victim tried to squirm, his grip tightening enough to crack the mandible bone. It was that pressure that made the person go still. "It would be a shame to damage such a color. You know, I have a friend named Veil who enjoys taking humans like you and turning them into his dolls. Those eyes of yours would make a good addition to his collection. But I doubt your body will have any use except for your organs. He'll probably just tear out your eyes and anything else he needs and place it onto another doll for use. I used to help him long ago so I know his…ways of gaining such things."

Another shiver ran down everyone's spines, still no one moving.

Tsuna swung his arm to the side, tossing the man with it, and watched as the idiot slid across the tiled floors. "Get out, the next time I see you, I'll personally call him in for a favor. Whatever happens after that, I don't have any say." Within seconds, the entire gang ran out, dashing into the streets to never be seen again. It was only minutes later they found themselves bumping into the leader of the disciplinary committee. Tsuna gave an unimpressed snort at their idiocy and tossed the knife back onto the table before turning around. He didn't even bother to look at anyone and went straight back to his seat, pulling his book out of nowhere to continue reading. Everyone stared for a few moments, unsure on how to react before they eventually went back to whatever they were doing. It was like the incident had never happened or they were, at least, familiar with Tsuna's oddness. Though the staff still looked terrified, Tsuyoshi continued to smile brightly, chuckling to himself in amusement.

'Who would have thought that Tsuna could be so scary?' The master swordsman pondered to himself. 'Still, he helped my boy and he has my gratitude.' Finishing up the final touches to the meals, he served the plates before the group. 'But it seems like the other two are used to it like they've seen Tsuna's violent tendency. He killed some people with a car just to save Takeshi so I guess that's to be expected…'

"Wow, this…actually looks amazing." Gokudera examined the food with a greedy spark in his eyes, almost like he was about to drool at any moment. The whole incident in his mind was temporary pushed aside, never really thinking much on the subject.

"Haha, my dad is the best!"

"Takeshi, there's no need to brag."

"This looks better than what the cooks used to make at the mansion."

"The mansion?"

The conversation went on, Gokudera speaking about where he had grown up at in Italy. It wasn't everything, just the basics. Nothing about his family was spoken about, obviously avoiding the subject altogether. Tsuna remained quiet, eating his sushi slowly, and lifted his head up to look at a random painting when he felt a small shift in the air, eyeing it carefully. It was just a picture of some flowers in a vase, the colors bright, but welcoming. Then, he saw it, the supposed heads of the flowers blinking. It was Reborn. Shaking his head, he turned back to the conversation.

"Tsuna-sama," Gokudera asked, catching the brunet's attention. "Please forgive me for asking this, but I'm a little curious. I've been over to your place for a while now, but I've never seen your father there. Is something wrong? Or is it that your father is dead?"

Tsuna paused in what he was doing and sighed. "Ah, that idiot. He can go and die."

Takeshi blinked, flinching slightly at the blunt words. "That's a little harsh, don't you think? I mean, he's your father, right?"

Of course, Gokudera had to add in his little two-bit. "Don't worry, Tsuna-sama, my family is screwed up enough as it is."

"No, it's not that," Putting down his chopsticks, Tsuna leaned back against his chair. He noticed that the painting had moved, Reborn appearing out of his costume, and saw him quickly changing back into his normal clothes, hopping over so that he could get his meal. The hitman would never deny free food, especially good ones, and Reborn wanted to get closer to listen to the present conversation. "My father, Iemitsu, says he cares a lot about us, but it isn't really true. He cares more about Vongola than his real family. For him, famiglia is more important than family. He's never here for years on end, always depressing Mom repeatedly because he forgets that it's their anniversary or her birthday or even that it's Christmas. I doubt he even remembers what day I was born on. When he does visit, which is rare as it is, probably every six years, he brings those assassins that want him dead. Of course, the man is a fool and doesn't realize it, leaving me to do the dirty work."

Those few words told everyone in the room, well, those that understood the conversation, that Tsuna had been killing since young. Reborn, already knowing about that, continued to eat like there was nothing wrong. He was more curious about this supposed friend of Tsuna's, Veil.

"He just makes a mess, drinks until he's drunk, before leaving again without saying a word. That man can be dead for all I care. He was never a father in the first place and even when the younger Tsu-" The brunet froze, catching his tongue. He had almost slipped about the dead Tsuna. "I mean, when I was younger, he never visited when I was diagnosed with a deadly illness or even when I was later cured."

The group had gone quiet again except for Reborn. The hitman had caught the slip, but was clearly confused on what it meant, he didn't understand it. 'Younger Tsuna? What is he talking about? Wait…didn't Tsuna say he wasn't the Tsuna from this world? Could it really have been the truth? And that deadly illness is probably the cancer he had in the past,' His eyes turned towards the brunet, watching his student go quiet again. 'Damn, there are too many questions on him. If only he would just talk about it…'

Tsuna went back to eating once more, dipping a piece of sushi into soy sauce to let the rice soak before lifting it back up. No one wanted to speak, absorbing the information in. A few looked tempted to speak out about the so called illness and others for Iemitsu.

Reborn peered around, having seen everything beforehand, and quickly finished up the rest of his delicious sushi, Tsuna not too far behind. As he dabbed his mouth, he finally spoke, "Tsuna, who is this Veil?"

"Ah, was he just made up to scare those gang members off?" Takeshi offered.

"No, he's real," Tsuna's words seemed to snap some sense into the group. "Veil is a…friend of mine, kinda. We've worked together in the past before and he's great at what he does. I guess normal people would consider him a mass murderer due to the vast number of people he has killed. He enjoys tearing his victims apart by amputating them and then putting them back together as dolls he can control."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

Gokudera rubbed the bottom of his chin as he thought back on the number of mass murders in the mafia world, it wasn't uncommon after all, but he had never heard of anything like that. Within the dark world, such actions would quickly be passed around, and even if there were no bodies, there would be people questioning about the disappearances. He had met many murderers who had become men for hire, torturing their victims for some pay on the side. Reborn was thinking back as well, but also came up with nothing. There was another question added into the bunch, just when had Tsuna met such a person?

Tsuna glanced over, able to guess what Reborn was thinking about. "Don't bother. You wouldn't have heard anything about him, he's not exactly…human." He muttered, not sure on how to tell everyone the truth. It wasn't as if they would be able to understand either. Pushing his plate away, he began to read once more, trying to distract himself from everyone else. Still, he knew better, Reborn would be asking about it once they were alone. There was no doubt about it.

* * *

"Tsuna, about this Veil-"

"Do you believe in demons?"

There was a pause, they were the only two in the bedroom late at night. "Demons?"

"Yeah, demons. Do you believe that demons exist?"

Another pause. "I do."

"I see. Then I'll let you know, Veil is a demon. He's known as the King of Lust, one of the seven sins in demonic form and a reigning Demon King of Hell."

"Wait…What?"

There was a shift on Tsuna's spot. "It's fine, you don't have to believe me right now. You'll probably see him sooner or later."

There was another pause. "Lust? As in sexual?"

"No, lust means intense desire. It can be for anything and for him, it's for beauty. His sense is warped for what is considered normal for people though, but as a demon, not so much."

"You are a very strange student of mine."

"Shouldn't that have been known from the beginning?"

"Obviously. Do you plan on letting me know how you know this Veil?"

"Not yet, it's not time yet."

"And when will that time be?"

"Soon."

* * *

"Is that your student?"

Reborn perked his head up in reaction to that voice, but kept his expression the same, rotating around to face another baby like himself. Though, this one was dressed in a red robe that symbolized his Chinese descendent and had long black haired tied neatly into a braid. A soft gentle smile was on the baby's face with a red pacifier in the same area Reborn had his own. The hitman gave a respectful nod. "Fong."

Taking a few moments to observe the other, Reborn turned away to look back at his so-called student, Tsuna. The teen was settled comfortably in his spot against the fence on the school rooftop without a single care despite the fact that there was apparently an assassin before him. It was like he didn't care and continued to eat, barely listening to the Chinese female assassin, I-pin, who was going on about her mission. Reborn and his fellow Arcobaleno member were on the other rooftop, close enough to observe the setting.

Takeshi and Gokudera were trying to talk to I-pin, regarding her as an enemy, but it was clear that they were hesitating on actually doing anything. She was, after all, simply a child, but the moment she pulled out her weapons, those dumplings that were created by the storm Arcobaleno, the guardians pulled out their own weapons in return. They were quite protective of their friend. Child or not, no one was going to hurt him. Soon, Tsuna got involved, nudging his friends off to the side in an effort to redirect the invisible attacks that came from the assassin. It was like he could see through the attack style, guiding himself side-to-side to miss the smelly stench.

'Perhaps it's his intuition coming into play? It's possible he'd already awakened it. Yes, it's definitely awake, considering his past awareness.' Reborn rubbed the bottom of his chin, deep in thought.

"My, he's putting up quite a resistance against I-Pin," The storm Arcobaleno looked over at the two, watching the brunet move around with ease, dodging the attacks without breaking a sweat. About halfway, Tsuna looked like he had gotten bored of the fight, his eyes drifting off to the side to keep his mind occupied. Fong stepped closer to the hitman, his animal partner sitting on his head. "You must have trained him well. I'm impressed and it's only been a short time, too."

"I didn't train him," Reborn huffed, tilting his fedora to the side. "He's already powerful enough on his own, but he's currently holding back. If he wanted to kill your student, he would have already done so even before she showed up."

The storm Arcobaleno blinked, clearly surprised, and tilted his head to watch closely, but he couldn't see what Reborn had meant. Tsuna looked like any average teenager who was just a little bit faster due to his age and was easily distracted. Though his student, I-pin, had gotten the wrong target by mistake due to her terrible eyesight, she should be able to handle herself just fine from to her training. The hitman would have smirked at Fong's confusion if the situation wasn't serious.

I-Pin made a sneer out of frustration, she was beginning to get irritated at the lack of response from her target, and tried to use her master's special attacks once more. However, they were all ineffective as Tsuna continued to maneuver around everything effortlessly. She instead only hit the surrounding areas, her attacks being misdirected from both her enemy and his allies.

Tsuna sighed, clearing bored of the fight already, and jumped back a couple times to gain some distance. This entire thing was starting to get annoying and he had better things to do than entertain someone at this current point of time.

Shifting his stance, he raised his right arm up and flicked his wrist. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind came out of nowhere and I-Pin found herself flying away, letting out a small yelp until she landed onto the ground with a thump, rolling back. Tsuna surveyed the area, eyeing the person before slowly stepping away, and peered up at the other roof with disinterest. His dull eyes glanced over the two babies that were standing there, momentarily looking at Fong before shifting to the hitman. Reborn smirked, he had expected nothing less of Tsuna, and flicked the end of his fedora upward.

"I didn't kill her." The brunet simply stated and headed back into the school building, closing the door behind. The other guardians followed behind, trying to keep up, and get back into class before the bell rang. They didn't want Hibari after them at this point of time.

"That's…your student?" Fong spoke with surprise, he hadn't expected I-Pin to be defeated like that and what was that skill? How interesting and yet, strange.

"And that's why I said he's powerful enough on his own." Reborn stated and jumped over the rooftop to fall down to the second level, following his student back into class. He needed to keep an eye on the brunet at all times, it was important to ensure that nothing bad happened while he was away or that he didn't miss anything critical.

Fong observed the hitman before heading towards his fallen student, offering a warm smile. He hadn't expected Tsuna to actually defeat his student so easily. The brunet didn't even look like he could put up a fight at all. It caught his interest, something that hadn't happened for a while. Looks like he'll need to stay around a little more to examine this boy and it was clear to him that Reborn was curious, too.

* * *

Sounds of a giant motor echoed through the airport, the plane just taking off into the distance while others were just beginning to land. People were bustling inside the building, trying to find a ride home or their departure gate. Among the crowd stood a white-haired male, somewhere in his late teens, who was shifting his way through everyone with a wide grin on his face. A bag of white marshmallows was within his hands with a ring on the middle finger of the right hand. "My, such an annoyance to get a flight here but I'm finally here in Japan. Time to see Tsunayoshi."

His purple eyes then caught sight of a sweets store within the airport's hallways and paused. "Hmm, maybe after I eat. Oh and then there's that wonderful shop that sells those custard cream puffs, better hit that too before visiting Tsunayoshi. So much to do, so little time~"


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by WhiteAngel128 
> 
> Edited: 10/18/15

" _Listen, when pulling out someone's eye, you have to be extremely careful. They're quite fragile after all. You don't want to break the vessels within and discolor everything."_

_Tsuna peered up curiously, his eyes filled with wonder, and stared ahead towards the being in front of him. The person wasn't human, that much was clear upon landing his eyes on him. The demon was tall, much taller than any human, around seven feet and towered over the little brunet. Sharp scissors-like claws were sprouted out as fingers with threads glimmering across them and as his honey-colored eyes trailed upwards, there were stitched scars layering the uncovered skin. Furthermore, he came across the tattered black clothes that were just as messed up as the being's body. Tsuna was unable to see the face and legs from his position, but he knew enough to know how everything else would look. He had seen the entire body before after all._

_His eyes trailed back down to the human corpse before him, the woman's eyes were still wide open even after she had died. They were a beautiful color of green, of jade, and it was perfect to add to the demon's collection. Tsuna grabbed the special device beside him and began to make the cut, edging around the skin on the eyeball to open the pressure underneath._

_Veil, the King of Lust, the demonic puppeteer, twisted around momentarily to make sure that there were no screw-ups. "Good, just like that. I'm amazed that the King of Time would actually let you come to my lair. He's quite…protective of you." The surrounding area was dark and long sharp devices hung off the ceiling, dangling down too high for Tsuna's reach, but enough for Veil to grab. Around them lied bodies, many just tossed around like sacks of potatoes, all stacked up among each other. Limbs were missing, organs harvested, and there were even some where the skin had been removed, leaving just the muscles underneath. Blood covered everything within sight, some still freshly dripping off the ceiling and bodies. Despite the destruction, there was no stench, no smell of rotting flesh, nothing._

_Tsuna continued his task, peeling the flesh back to get better access. He hadn't screwed up yet and it wouldn't be long before he could pluck the eyeball out, cutting away at the tissues and vessels carefully with a steady hand. "He is, but that's what I love the most about him. He understands me better than anyone else. Still…I need training, both he and I know that. I'm far too weak to you demons' standards now. I'm aiming at becoming one of the Demonic rulers of Hell just like him and you and the title of Sorcerer King. I may not be a demon like you two, but I'm still a sorcerer, an immortal being, trained under the usage of magic just like the witches. However, I can still be considered a demon due to my relations to Hell." Blood was pooling out, dripping off to the side, and yet he still continued, breaking the orbital bone. A sharp snap filled the room. Veil was still working on his own corpses and was now stitching something up. Tsuna bit down on his bottom lip and with a quick yank, the eyeball came popping out with a sickening 'plop'. Reaching towards the free organ, his fingers grabbed onto the squishy surface, yanking the cords behind off, and rolled it around in his fingers. "Soon, I'll be powerful enough to join your ranks and I won't let anyone stop me."_

_Veil peered back, his midnight blue eyes examining the situation before him with a blank expression. His long black hair was tangled around his back, showing he hadn't combed it for a while, and it gave him a creepy appearance with the way the locks went around his skull. Stitches with black linings went all across his face as if he had been pieced together sometime in the past. "I don't doubt it, despite being once human, you've become quite powerful within a short time frame. I'm just here to teach you torture methods as promised to the King of Time."_

" _Thanks though, I guess I owe you later on then?" Tsuna was already working on the other eye, getting it out easier compared to his previous try. Within seconds, it popped out._

" _No, you're helping me right now. Since you were human before, you should be able to identify which styles of clothing I should place on my human toys that will blend them in with the mortal society." As the demon said that, he lifted up the body he had been working on, revealing the numerous limbs from various bodies attached together. Two different skins of a head were stitched together down the center and the eyes, hollow and empty, were a pretty blue color. And yet, the human doll could still move, almost in perfect synch._

_Tsuna smirked, almost wanting to clap at the accomplishment before him._

* * *

"Aww, more guests? Oh, they are so cute!" Nana called out happily, squealing to herself as she moved side to side. "Will you be staying here?"

The two Chinese babies peered at each other curiously, watching as Reborn hopped up onto the counter to demand a cup of coffee. The head of the household just smiled along, not minding that a baby wanted a cup of coffee so late at night, something most people would deny immediately. Oddly, it wasn't Nana who got it, it was Tsuna. Much to Nana's disappointment, she was unable to make a decent cup of coffee without the use of instant coffee powder and usually left it up to the machine to do its magic. However, that didn't make real coffee, at least to the hitman's tastes, it was nowhere close and the taste was obvious upon a single sip. However, when Reborn found out that Tsuna could cook, and quite well, he demanded the brunet to take over in that department and be the only one to make him coffee. Ever since that decision, his daily addiction had not only tasted like at home, but better in another way that he had never thought of before. It was unique and Tsuna clearly made his coffee a different way than normal. Of course, since Reborn started demanding, the brunet started drinking more often, deciding that it wouldn't hurt to add an extra cup into the mixture for himself.

I-pin soon was distracted by Lambo, running around to play a game of tag, leaving the rest of the group on their own. Takeshi and Gokudera had been shuffled off home, with some not-so-nice shoves from Tsuna and promises to visit in the morning. This left the tiny group mostly on their own.

"Ah, I almost forgot," Tsuna rotated his head towards Reborn, his eyes dull as normal. "I remember you asking for me to cook Penne alla vodka for you. I managed to get the ingredients together, would you like me to cook it tonight?"

The hitman rubbed the bottom of his chin, looking at the mother who was busy with the two children and laughing along, then to Tsuna. "Sure, why not? I'll tell Maman, but it might be best to make some of the dishes without the Vodka in it for the younger ones, put more in mine though."

Nodding his head, the brunet went straight to work, grabbing the needed ingredients from the cabinets and refrigerator. For now, he would add the vodka last compared to the beginning of the recipe in order to control the amount he puts in. Boiling the water, he pulled out a batch of long pasta and tossed it in, waiting for it to soften. As that went on, he began to create the sauce with the garlic, onions, butter and olive oil, mixing them into the tomato puree.

Reborn watched from the side, observing the way the brunet cut through the additional small vegetables to add in, and then turned to Fong. "So how has your days gone by? Anything interesting I need to know about?"

The Chinese Arcobaleno shook his head, his long braid swinging back and forth in return. His eyes were closed and sighed heavily. "I haven't found anything we've been looking for, sadly. I find that most of the days have been the same. The only thing that's been keeping it somewhat bright is I-Pin. She's quite a dear, though I wish she would give up on my training to become an assassin and instead live a regular life."

"If she stays here, that'll happen," The hitman huffed, flopping down onto the tabletop with his legs crossed. His cup of coffee that was nearly empty was beside him and Leon remained wrapped around his fedora like normal. His eyes momentary glanced back to see Tsuna adding heavy cream into the sauce pan, listening to it cook rapidly over the fire. "Maman here has a strange reaction towards children. She loves them too much even if they aren't her own and can give them a more normal life."

"And why are you telling me this, old friend?" Fong tilted his head, settling beside Reborn. "This is very unusual of you."

"I felt like it."

"Hmmm…" The storm Arcobaleno raised a hand up, placing it against his lips, and continued to examine his fellow group member and student. It was simply odd on how the two were. He had seen the relationship between Reborn and his previous student, Dino, and it was nothing like this. If anything, Dino had become Reborn's personal torturing tool, passing the days by harming the other repeatedly with a little tutoring mixed in. "Well, I heard that Mafia Land has been trying to get you to show up at their place. Do you plan on going?"

"And take the chance of seeing Colonello? Absolutely not."

"Typical Reborn."

* * *

Dinner had passed by quietly, not much of a ruckus, especially since everyone was focusing on eating their meals. A few compliments were passed around, even Reborn mentioning one, and time just went by quickly. The young children, not the Arcobaleno, had no alcohol in their food while the rest had a heavy dose as requested by Reborn. After dinner with the dishes all placed into the sink, a small problem came up when it was getting close to bedtime.

"Ah, that's right. We'll have to deal with the sleeping arrangements," Nana looked between her two new guests curiously, wondering what she was going to do. "I only have one more extra room so perhaps you two can share? Or one of you can sleep with my son or Lambo? I don't think either will mind."

Tsuna didn't reply to that and shrugged his shoulders to show that he didn't care much. "I-Pin should take the other room since she's a girl. Fong can probably stay with me since I think you and Reborn will be talking most of the night away."

"Ah," The Chinese Arcobaleno looked like he wanted to disagree, not wanting to impose on the family more than needed. He turned to Reborn for help in explaining his situation, but he should have known better, the hitman wouldn't say a single thing. He would keep quiet and let others think what they wanted until he gave them the true answers or simply play with their minds. Still, regardless of his situation of needing to return back to the Chinese Triads for work, he was curious about Reborn's student. He hadn't seen the sun Arcobaleno do anything to the brunet but hang around, keeping himself attached to Tsuna at all times either on the shoulders or in the arms as if separating from each other would be devastating. Fong found it very odd seeing as Reborn hated to be treated like the child he was in form, but they both had to be lenient towards those that saw them. It wasn't fair to outright attack someone just because of what they thought of their appearance. It wasn't their fault, though he could certainly do without the pinching of his cheeks. "I don't know about that."

Reborn hummed to himself, sipping quietly on his refill of coffee, and blinked. "It's fine with me. I tend to sleep in Tsuna's bed anyway."

Now that got Fong suspicious and his curiosity was getting stronger on the relationship between the two. It was odd. He was still comparing it to how Reborn had treated his previous student, Dino, and this was nothing like that time. Tsuna wasn't being tormented, he wasn't being trained, it was like Reborn wasn't doing his job at all. Still, he couldn't be one hundred percent certain. 'How odd. It's like they are acting like close friends than tutor and student.'

As they got ready for bed, Tsuna was the first one to head into the bathroom, leaving the two Arcobaleno on their own to talk within the confines of his bedroom. Fong, despite the fact that he needed to get home, didn't exactly quite want to leave just yet. Tsuna was far too interesting in his eyes and he was unlike what the Chinese Arcobaleno had expected from someone who was supposed to be sheltered from the dark world. The boy had a very uncaring attitude towards everything and seemed more at ease hanging around the house than talking to other people except when it came to Reborn, the hitman was apparently the exception. Even when it came to those friends of his, Takeshi and Gokudera, he was generally quiet, letting the other two argue all they wanted over any subject. It was like it didn't matter to him. Tsuna just kept to himself, either reading or watching with that unsettling stare, and even Fong felt like he needed to be careful at times, shivering here and there whenever he felt the brunet's eyes on him. It was like he was being watched, every move registered, every shift of his body taken in. It was unsettling to someone as himself, a person who was considered the wind, it was as if he was an enemy that needed to be watched out for.

Still, Tsuna seemed to ease up on I-pin, letting her do whatever she wanted in a sense as long as she didn't cause any trouble. Fong wondered how long that would actually last considering how shy and destructive his student could get.

"So, how long have you been here, old friend?" Fong smiled softly, holding his cup of tea that Nana had made for him, gracefully sipping on it between sentences or whenever he waited for Reborn to reply.

"Three months." Reborn muttered, sitting on the other side, a pillow underneath him. His fedora had been taken off, resting on the nightstand with Leon at the very top sleeping. Despite being separated from his partner, he was very much at ease, enough so that he didn't feel the need to have his usual protection with him. He was confident that Tsuna's curses were no longer being directed towards him anymore and were instead now protecting the house like it always had before his arrival. Of course, he wouldn't take any chances in letting anyone slip by his protection. There was no telling if there would be a moron that could do better than the others. "Tsuna has been quite the student."

"How much have you been able to teach him?"

"Almost nothing. I haven't even taught him how to use his flames yet, though I doubt I'll need to."

Fong perked up at that, shifting his form slightly to listen better. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that Tsuna is different. He doesn't need training and is quite resilient towards everything I throw at him. It took me a while to finally get through those barriers of his to actually let me stay around him," Reborn didn't want to mention that they had gotten a lot closer ever since he started sleeping in the same bed with Tsuna, resigning to his fate as a teddy bear. Still, it hadn't been too bad. He got some decent sleep during that time and he enjoyed the warm hold Tsuna gave to him every time, it was better than any blanket he had ever had. The trip to the future had really brought them closer together. "He has an unnatural ability that makes me want to find out more about him, more so than actually doing my job. And I have a strong feeling he already knows about the sky flame that's burning within him. However, he keeps denying that he'll become Vongola Demico, I find that suspicious."

Fong just smiled at that, it looked like Reborn was having trouble with his student but was also enjoying it. A mixed feeling and the Chinese Arcobaleno could tell that it was pretty clear which side was winning. It was amusing to say, it wasn't that often he could see Reborn looking like this. Fong could feel his own interest on the other rising.

Still, the two went quiet when Tsuna came back in, peering at the two babies as he rubbed his wet hair as dry as possible with some loose pants on. His hair wasn't in its usual spikiness, flattened by the weight of the water, and he moved over to his closet to get some nightclothes on, well aware of the eyes that were following him from behind. He was supposed to have school tomorrow, but with Reborn's permission, he was allowed to skip because of Fong's appearance. That meant he could sleep in as long as he wanted and Tsuna was going to take full advantage of it. Soon after the brunet changed, he went back into the bedroom and dimmed the lights off on one side of the room, leaving the other side lighted for the Arcobaleno to continue talking. Tsuna settled down onto the bed, facing the two, and pulled the covers up to let his feet slide in underneath. A slight shiver ran up his spine at the coolness underneath. "I'm heading to bed. You're welcome to talk, but if possible, please keep it down."

After saying that, the brunet shuffled further underneath the covers as he yanked everything up to his neck and twisted around so that his back was against the group. It was done so that the light wouldn't disturb his sleep. The two Arcobaleno watched for a few moments before continuing their chatters on various subjects, using what little time they had to say what they needed to. It was just that it had been a few years since they had last been able to talk in person. Though they weren't the closest of friends, they knew each other well enough that sharing some secrets wouldn't be too bad, knowing that the other wouldn't spill. They spoke about some simple topics like what was going on within other parts of the mafia that weren't connected to their area or if anything interesting was happening in a famiglia. Time simply passed by like usual and in the end, it got late enough where both Arcobaleno decided that it was time to follow Tsuna's example. Fong was going to take Reborn's old hammock with the pillow on the center for a replacement mattress, finding it quite comfortable considering that the material within were made of feathers. He quickly curled up on the surface, well aware that his young student, I-Pin, was already asleep in the other room. However, his interest remained on Reborn, who had hopped up onto Tsuna's bed, and is shuffling over the covers so that he is within the arms.

'Such a weird sight…' The storm Arcobaleno thought, one eye open as he watched the two curiously. It was hard to see considering how their bodies and beds were located, but he could identify what was going on. Even as an hour passed, he was still staring, smirking as he peered at the sleeping two, or well, one of them was sleeping. Reborn was still awake and well aware of his movements despite the fact that they couldn't see each other. Nevertheless, the thought of seeing his old friend willingly cuddling up to someone was just amazing and it looked like it had been going on for a while by how comfortable the hitman was. Tsuna didn't even care about the thought of having a killer at his side, in his arms specifically. Eventually, his curiosity got the better of him and he hopped closer until he reached the top of the bed to get a better look at the two. His tiny body hardly sank into the mattress and his footsteps were silent to the rest of the world. Fong knew Reborn is well aware of what he is planning.

"Go to bed, Fong." Tsuna's voice broke out, the brunet shifting slightly to grab hold of Reborn and pull him in closer.

The Chinese baby blinked in confusion, clearly not expecting the teen to actually be the one to call him out. He peered down at Reborn, not getting a response out of the other, and then shrugged his shoulders. Too bad, he had been hoping to try something out to see if he could ruffle Reborn's feathers and gain a reaction. But if they were both aware of his presence, it wouldn't really work. Perhaps another time?

Tsuna opened his eyes momentarily, the honey-colored orbs staring at the retreating figure of the storm Arcobaleno before peering down at the sun one. Reborn had yet to move from his spot, seemingly more comfortable here than anywhere else. Reaching up slowly, he brushed his fingers through the black locks a couple of times, letting the tips of his fingers drift down to a curl, before finally dozing off for the rest of the night. He was hardly aware of tiny fingers gripping into his shirt soon after.

* * *

The next day had passed mostly uneventfully with his guardians coming over to hang out the moment they found out he had skipped school. It was amazing that neither of them cared much on the idea and Tsuna had a strong feeling that Hibari would be coming after them soon for skipping so much. Actually, he was kinda amazed it hadn't happened yet. Still, he knew better than to think that a whole day could go by peacefully when there were so many people involved…especially when Lambo threw a fit. Sometime during their little game of tag after lunch, Lambo had decided to pull I-Pin's braid, resulting in her twisting around and attacking back with her infamous martial art skills she had learned from Fong. There was no doubt on who won the battle, however the cow child wasn't pleased at the results which resulted in the next couple of events. Within seconds, the familiar bazooka was out and fired, people dodging to the side in an effort to avoid getting struck. However, despite everyone's attempts to get out of the way, it still managed to hit someone and that person turned out to be Reborn, who both Fong and Tsuna had a feeling allowed himself to be hit on purpose.

The brunet blinked, watching in curiosity as that familiar pink smoke came out of the small explosion, and almost bit back a curse. He didn't want to know what could happen next, but he _was_ curious about his future relationship with Reborn. He knew there was something going on between them, lovers being the most obvious term, and ring of the Sorcerer King's Advisor gave things away. It was odd and yet intriguing. And as much as he tried to look into the future for such facts, he found himself at times being blocked. It appeared like his future self was preventing him from finding out things that needed to go on its own course. How annoying but he let things ago, knowing there was a good reason for it.

Fong remained close by, watching the scene with interest. He was well aware of the effects of the bazooka and his curiosity over what would happen to the Arcobaleno in the future was burning strongly. It was something he couldn't help but be inquisitive about. Would they still be trapped in this baby form even ten years from now or actually be different? Or dead? He wasn't sure.

Gokudera and Takeshi were at the side on the couch, never leaving their spots. The two didn't know what to expect, curiosity clear within their eyes, considering what happened the last time something like this had happened. The memories of Adult Tsuna's appearance are still vibrant within their minds. Meanwhile, Lambo and I-pin ran off to hide, the former disappearing with fear in his eyes as if he had remembered something he didn't want to. Everyone else didn't move, watching and waiting for the smoke to clear.

As it did, adult Reborn stood in the previous Reborn's place, with his hands in his pockets. His fedora was nowhere in sight, his spiky black hair wild since it was no longer confined, and his curls bounced for a moment as he shifted. His jacket was off, just a plain yellow button-up, long-sleeve shirt with the black tie loosened, and even his shoes were gone. It was clear he had been relaxing somewhere when he had been summoned over. Pulling a hand out from his pocket, he reached up to grab one of his curls, twirling it around his finger, and allowed it to spring back into place. His dark eyes surveyed the place as he did his little habit once more, momentarily stopping at Fong, who looked flabbergasted at the sight of the adult. He gave a smirk and a nod, offering a greeting in respect towards the other. The storm Arcobaleno returned it hesitatingly, his animal partner releasing a small squeak from the top of his head. Reborn continued his observation, passing the two guardians and then stopped when he came to Tsuna.

"So I'm back here again." The hitman's deep voice echoed in the silent room, no one was sure on what to say next. His compressing and superior aura left most people speechless and despite showing up randomly in a different time, he was still quite relaxed. He reached up to rub the back of his head, letting his fingers run through his short spiky black hair to smooth some of the locks back. Soon after, he touched the left side of his neck, rubbing something there even though the skin was flawless.

"R-Reborn… You…" Fong's words paused in-between, not sure on how to question the appearance before him. He couldn't help but be delighted at the thought of finally getting the chance to return to normal. But there was no yellow pacifier on the hitman… That was the real issue. How could there be no pacifier? Was it transferred or something else?

Reborn gave a snort and let his arm lean against his waist, his belt not even wrapped around his pants either. "I can't say anything for obvious reasons. I can't change anything in the past." He shook his head at the obvious disappointment that flashed through Fong's large eyes before his eyes went back to the brunet, giving a sinister smirk, one that made Tsuna shiver. Everyone else looked at each other in confusion, knowing that there was something going on between the two as they stared. Tsuna took a step back, cautious about Reborn's appearance, his memory of last occurrence still clear within his mind. He could still feel those lips against his own and the hands drifting over his body. As he remembered that, the adult took a step closer in return towards the Sorcerer King, his evil intentions clear within the air as it radiated from his body.

Silence, no one else moved or spoke, all eyes on the two.

Then Reborn did something Tsuna never expected, much less anyone else.

Suddenly, an arm snapped out and the brunet found himself getting shoved forward, crashing straight into the hard mass in front. It took him a moment to figure out what happened but those few seconds was enough to get himself trapped within Reborn's strong embrace, the man being taller than him by almost a foot. A light tint slipped onto his cheeks, his face buried into the chest and could breathe in the strong mixed scent of espresso and cologne off the clothes. Almost instantly, Tsuna relaxed into it, finding the wonderful scent familiar and calming despite the fact this was the first time it happened. It was like his body knew what was best, molding itself perfectly against the other almost automatically. It didn't help that Reborn knew how to hold him. There was a long silence as everyone watched, eyeing the two, while Tsuna blinked rapidly, peering up curiously. It was then that a warm pair of lips against his own, silencing him before he could say anything.

Tsuna let out a small sound from the back of his throat with his eyes wide in shock. This was the second time he had been kissed by Reborn and he had a strong feeling within the pit of his stomach that it wouldn't be the last. The passing thought that Reborn's lips were incredibly soft was immediately pushed from his mind when he felt the other asking entrance and he gave in unintentionally. For some odd reason, he could taste…chocolate on the lips.

Ignoring the surroundings, the hitman took advantage of Tsuna's shock and surrender to pry open the lips and slipped his tongue within, immediately attempting to devour the other. 'Delicious…' That was the only thing Reborn could think of as he tasted the brunet, his tongue mapping out the inner cave greedily. His fingers from his right hand drifted up into the soft caramel-colored hair, grabbing a fistful to prevent Tsuna from trying to break the kiss, and continued to ravish the teen happily.

There were some gasps from around them, Gokudera's mouth dropping open in shock, while Takeshi held one of stupor. Fong just simply stared, unsure on how to react to the setting. Reborn tilted his head to the side, allowing better access to those lips, never breaking contact. He peeked one of his eyes open to look at the brunet and smirked into the kiss at what he saw. Tsuna's face was absolutely red, struggling to find air, and was clearly fighting against him by placing his hands between them.

Of course, Reborn refused to give up and attacked the other tongue, listening to a soft moan that followed, those honey-colored eyes closing in response. His other hand went around Tsuna's waist, grinding their bodies together, and momentarily broke apart their lips to place kisses down the brunet's neck. There were more gasps, this time from Tsuna himself, and the brunet found himself arching his back against the hitman. Another moan escaped when Reborn bit down on a spot in the center of the neck, sucking painfully to make a bruise. It was a marking, a clear declaration that Tsuna was Reborn's, and that if anyone were to try and take him away, there would be hell to pay in the form of an angry trigger-happy adult hitman.

Reborn licked his lips, enjoying the sight before him, and went for another kiss, stealing Tsuna's breath away once more. His hands could feel Tsuna shaking against his fingertips, struggling to continue standing, and his right tightened its grip on the brown hair, forcing the other to keep up with him.

"Eh? What's this?"

A single voice called out into the room and then a clatter of a plastic cup falling to the floor echoed in the silent room. Those sounds were enough to bring the two, who were making out in the middle of the room, out of their little session. Tsuna wheezed for breath, his face burning uncontrollably, and despite his attempts on trying to move away from the adult once more, he couldn't. Reborn just stood there without a care in the world, his grasp tight on the shorter person's waist. There Nana stood in her spot at the doorway, clearly looking shocked over the setting before her.

"W-What? Who?" Her eyes drifted over the tall man who she had seen kissing Tsuna then to her son before going back to the man. She blinked and then blinked again before grinning. "Oh my goodness! Tsuna, why didn't you tell me you were dating someone?!"

"Eh?!" Without knowing, Tsuna let out a small scream, something clearly rare considering his personality. "W-What?! No! I'm not dating him!"

Reborn smirked and leaned over, pressing his lips against the soft area of the neck, and sprawled kisses up towards the ear. Tsuna shivered, letting out a shaky moan and almost an even louder one when the hitman dragged his tongue across his ear, licking right along the edges. "Are you sure about that, Tsuna?"

"Reborn! Stop that!" The yell was followed by a devious chuckle from the hitman, still placing kisses down.

"Reborn?" Nana muttered under her breath, her eyes drifting upward deep in thought. "You mean little Reborn?"

No one replied to that, not wanting to reveal the truth of the situation. Reborn continued his task until he felt it was almost time to disappear and just before he shoved the brunet off, he went back to the center of the neck. Right where he had left the mark, he went back over it, giving it a good suck to create a purple and black bruise, licking his lips happily as he looked over his work. Then Tsuna went flying back, straight into the couch behind. Another smirk rose up on his lips. "Glad to see I can still have an effect on you, Tsuna."

The brunet narrowed his eyes, his fingers clenching into the soft fabrics of the couch, but before he could retort back, Nana had stepped forward with a glitter in her eyes. "Tall and handsome with a personality that can keep up with Tsuna's. Oh, my wishes came true! You _must_ tell me your name."

Twirling one of his infamous curls, the hitman chuckled. "I believe you should be familiar with it. I've been living here for a while now, but in a different form. And Tsuna here did say it after all."

"Eh?"

With that, pink smoke appeared out of nowhere, covering the appearance of the hitman as he vanished back into his own time. Baby Reborn replaced the spot, standing in the same place, and peered over the situation before him in question. What the hell had happened? Those were his thoughts when he saw everyone's expression and even more so when he saw Tsuna's. That red face, though adorable, was questionable and he was familiar with such things. So…had his older self really molested the brunet? And to think he had been chatting with Tsuna and drinking some great hot chocolate just moments before.

"Is anyone going to tell me what happened?" Reborn demanded, the aura surrounding him darkening what little light was within the room, but there was no answer, not even Nana said a word. Tsuna, suspecting what was about to happen, ran off immediately, vanishing up the stairs. Fong wasn't too far behind, ducking beside a couch just in case, despite knowing he could fight back easily against the hitman. That left Takeshi and Gokudera as the clear victims, Nana being let off for obvious reasons. The hitman clicked his gun, Leon having transformed beforehand, and smirked. "Start talking."

* * *

A door creaked open to the bedroom. "Tsuna."

"Y-Yes?"

"I heard what happened from your guardians."

"Oh…"

"That's all you're going to say to that?"

"I…don't know what else to say. Are you okay with that fact?"

"That the future me apparently ravished you and that we are lovers in the future?"

"…"

Soft laughter. "Oddly, it doesn't bother me. I believe I'm okay with my future. It seems pretty good so far from what I've managed to see."

"I see. Then…it won't bother me either. I haven't been able to see much for myself, but I know I'm happy so…I'll let myself drift along with no doubts."

"Good. Because I'd hate to see such a good future change."

"Reborn…"

"By the way, you're making me hot chocolate with Frangelico mixed in. The future you was drinking it when I showed up and shared his with me."

"That definitely explains the chocolate taste when the future you kissed me."

* * *

'Today is not a good day', Tsuna decided to himself as he wandered about outside with everyone else. 'Not good at all.' His eyebrows twitched for a moment as he felt sweat drip down the side of his face. He didn't feel too good…and he knew the reason as to why.

'Dizzy…' Tsuna peered up at the sky for a moment, the bright blue only making his headache throb even more terribly than before. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself, but his rapidly paling expression was obvious to anyone else who saw him. With a shaky hand, he ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it back, and could feel the sweat mixed into the locks.

"Tsuna? Are you okay?" Takeshi's concerned face appeared into the brunet's vision and he immediately reached forward when Tsuna stumbled. Gokudera was on the other side, holding up his beloved boss, and Reborn was on the ground, having hopped off when something didn't feel right, looking up at Tsuna in concern.

"Tsuna, what's wrong?" The hitman demanded immediately, eyes narrowing as he listened to the raspy breathing and rapidly paling skin color. That was no illness, it was something more, but he wasn't certain on it. The rapid effect of whatever it might have been was too fast, far too quick for a normal human body to react against and show signs of. Reborn stepped closer, motioning the others to move the brunet into a shaded spot under a tree, and jumped up onto Tsuna's lap once he was sitting on a bench that was within the shade. "Tsuna, we can't help if you don't say anything."

The brunet sighed at that and shook his head, strengthening his headache more. "I'm fine, just a little tired. I might have been overdoing myself more so than I was supposed to. That's it." Taking a few deep breaths, he tried to control his situation and his body before nodding, getting up to escape out of the grasps on him. He needed to get back home to rest because, at this rate, his body would not just collapse, there would be much more than that. Grinding his teeth together in frustration, he quickened his pace in a desperate effort to get back, well aware of the concerned gazes he got from his friends behind.

However, eventually, he stumbled again, having exerted more energy than he could afford and crashed into a pair of waiting arms around the corner of a building. Tsuna blinked in confusion, feeling his head getting buried underneath someone's chin, a male from the lack of breast tissue against his face. The brunet slowly tried to pull back, but found himself unable to and instead tilted his head back to look up. The male before him was tall, much older than him, and had an odd sugary scent on him that he swore he recognized. As his eyes continued to trail up, he took note of the pale skin, smooth and clear, the white and purple shirt and jacket before heading further up to the face. His eyes widened at that. He knew that cunning smile, that purple tattoo under the right eye, and that white spiky hair. There was only one person that had all those features in all the worlds he had been into.

The albino just smiled again, giving a small laughter in amusement. "Well, hello there, Tsunayoshi. Long time no see! How many years has it been for you since we've last seen each other, hmm~"

"Bya…kuran?"


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by WhiteAngel128 and saphire644
> 
> Edited: 10/18/15

Tsuna stared at the other in shock, the first time that expression had ever really showed itself on him. He couldn't believe it. He hadn't expected to meet _him_ of all people and here, too. "What…are you doing here?" His eyes drifted over the form, teenager in appearance, and clothes that fit him just fine. They consisted of a white jacket with black streaks at the side, currently zi

Tsuna stared at the other in shock, the first time that expression had ever really showed itself on him. He couldn't believe it. He hadn't expected to meet _him_ of all people and here, too. "What…are you doing here?" His eyes drifted over the form, teenager in appearance, and clothes that fit him just fine. They consisted of a white jacket with purple streaks at the side, currently zipped up, and a pair of skinny jeans that had a tear on the right knee and another one on the lower left thigh. They looked like something a punk would wear but it complimented the other perfectly with his pure white hair and deep purple eyes.

Byakuran smiled slyly, looking like he was grinning about one thing or another. "I've come to visit you. I still remember you from my previous life long ago and wanted to see what it was all about. My memories of that time are still there, but fuzzy," He continued to hold onto the brunet, keeping his arm around the other's waist, and pulled the brunet up into a standing position. However, despite the shorter teen now holding himself up on his own two feet without any shakiness, Byakuran's grip refused to leave. "But the fear and darkness I felt in that world…there was nothing like it."

" _Because I've become bored of this world, Vongola Decimo here isn't as interesting as the other worlds. If you can make it more interesting, I'll help you however you want."_

Tsuna didn't reply, a flash of a memory slipping through his mind, and stared at the white-haired being in momentary shock. He hadn't expected such a thing to happen, a passing whisper of a person that had long passed away. Slowly, he pulled away from the grasp, still pale in color, and nodded his head as thanks towards Byakuran for catching him. He could feel the eyes of Reborn and his friends behind him, watching everything before them carefully, and absorbing any words that were exchanged. Tsuna wanted to get away, he wanted to head back home, and go to bed before something began to unravel. However, he didn't get very far, just two steps, when Byakuran suddenly wrapped his arms around his thin shoulders, pulling him closer to where their bodies touched.

"You're not getting away, Tsunayoshi," The white-haired teen grinned, well aware of the stares they were getting. No other emotion slipped through Byakuran's facial, revealing nothing than what was already there. "I've come searching for you and I won't let you escape me now after coming this far."

The brunet didn't say anything to that and blinked, looking down at the hands that were wrapped around him. He immediately noticed the familiar sky Mare ring on the right hand and blinked again. There were no changes in it. The ring looked the same as always.

"And I see you've noticed it right away. Yes, I've gained the ring earlier than originally in other worlds and I do know about your identity, well, what I can remember of it. Sadly, since it's been so long, almost all my selves have forgotten about that world long ago. I only remembered it since I felt that surge of power from you that just…sparked something deep down," Byakuran chuckled, leaning down so that he could whisper into the ear so that no one else could hear their little exchange. Tsuna didn't flinch or shiver as the breath brushed against his skin, remaining still like he was a statue, unaffected by everything. It was like he didn't care. "But I don't care for the past. I'm more interested on what you'll be doing to _this_ world, what you'll be changing in it with your presence."

Tsuna sighed and rotated slightly in the grasp, giving a small snort. "Is that all you're here for? I have better things to do." Gathering up his strength, he shoved the other away again and started making his way home except he stumbled once more.

Gokudera cried out for him, his green eyes widened as he rushed forward in an effort to catch his beloved boss. To him, it was like everything had slowed down to a snail's pace and despite that, his body refused to move any faster. Tsuna let out an uncharacteristic sneer at his sudden show of weakness, trying to get his body working to stabilize himself before he made an unpleasant union with the concrete floor. Takeshi jumped, giving a shocked expression similar to Gokudera's, trying to also catch his falling friend, but Reborn just remained where he was at on the floor, watching everything critically as it unfolded itself before him. The hitman knew very well he couldn't do anything to save Tsuna's falling form, his body wouldn't allow such a thing. His black eyes stared over everything analytically, making sure he didn't miss anything that might have been unnoticed. Unluckily, he hadn't been able to pick up anything in the conversation between Byakuran and Tsuna from the way the taller teen was whispering with his lips so close to the brunet's ear. Reborn's grip tightened on the tip of his fedora, he didn't like that closeness between them, and he was quite tempted to get Leon to transform to fire a few warning bullets to prevent any more physical interaction. Still, he held back. Reborn refused to allow his emotions to get the better of him. He prided himself on his iron-hold over himself.

Luckily for the hitman, he didn't need to anything because, just before Tsuna could reach the floor, Byakuran had recaptured the brunet once more in his grasp. The heir made an irritated huff at having shown a weakness, but didn't struggle this time and went a little lax into the grasp. He could hear some irritated grumbles from the rest of the group, well, from Gokudera from not being the one to save his boss. Takeshi simply brought his arms behind his head, letting out a bright smile, seeing as his friend was safe at the moment.

"My, my, someone is having problems today~" Byakuran teased, earning a small twitch from the shorter teen. Immediately afterwards, the albino used his powers to summon his white wings, the light sparkling brilliantly in the sunlight, and they flapped for a moment as if the other was trying to get a feel of them. Some people on the streets stared in amusement even the guardians, their eyes never once leaving the figure.

However, Reborn was not amused. Instead, he hopped closer and his large eyes narrowed just slightly, knowing very well what those wings meant. "Let go of Tsuna." He clicked his gun to give a warning, but it went ignored as Byakuran lifted up the brunet into his arms, bridal style. A small growl escaped his lips. He wanted nothing more than to blast away that smiling face. It was annoying, infuriating, and he ignored the sudden pang of pain that shot down his body. If only he hadn't been trapped into his cursed baby form, he might have been able to do something physically.

"Nope~" Byakuran just smirked in amusement and continued to flap his wings behind, clearly about to take off with Tsuna still in his arms. The brunet blinked dizzily and reached over to grab hold of the other's shirt, trying to lift himself up into a better and more comfortable position. It was like he had given up on arguing with Byakuran. The albino just continued to beam, but he couldn't hide that flash of concern when he looked down at Tsuna's pale expression. "I'm just going to take him away for a while. I'll give him back later."

"No, you're not," Reborn instantaneously fired off a bullet, lodging it into the metal pole behind one of the wings. The shadow under the fedora had grown, his eyes narrowed downwards into a glare. "You're not taking Tsuna _anywhere_."

Gokudera and Takeshi went on edge at that, their minds finally figuring out what the albino was planning. They clearly weren't happy at the thought of their boss and friend leaving with someone else besides them. Byakuran paid no attention, not even caring about the glare from the number one hitman in the world, and continued to hold onto the brunet like everything was normal, like there was nothing wrong. "But I'm the only one that might know about Tsunayoshi's condition."

That seemed to get the sun Arcobaleno's attention and his grip on the gun momentarily wavered before it tightened once more. "What do you mean?"

"He's lying." Tsuna grumbled softly, tempted to smack the other in the stomach to release him, but resisted.

"Eh? How mean. I might know something." The white-haired teen pouted depressingly, almost like a dejected child, before peering over the group cautiously. The brunet's breathing was ragged, worse than before, and those honey-colored eyes were just beginning to close. It was clear to the albino that the condition was getting worse. With a sigh, he stepped closer towards the baby, leaning over just slightly as if allowing him to get on, and Reborn did.

The hitman immediately attached himself to Tsuna's chest, settling onto it like it was a pillow. He refused to put away his gun however and glared. A glimpse of concern towards his student almost made him waver again, but he wasn't going to show any vulnerability towards this strange person. Still, he turned towards the storm and rain guardian, "You two, get the doctor named Shamal to come over. We'll be at the main house." The two teens paused, looking at each other, before nodding in compliance. They knew better than to disobey, having faith that Tsuna is in good hands while Reborn is around.

Chuckling out of amusement, Byakuran took flight into the sky, dashing towards Tsuna's household that was about two to three miles away. It wasn't far if there wasn't so many twist and turns to make before getting home. He ignored the surprised cries from below and flew with ease, gliding with the strong winds to help him pick up speed.

"You plan on telling me what is going on?" Reborn questioned as he continued to keep a hold on Tsuna just in case, his fingers gripping onto the brunet's shirt. His other hand is on his fedora, making sure that it didn't fly off with a gust of wind. Leon had long transformed back into his regular form, wrapped around the fedora to keep him still.

"Not sure, it's up to Tsunayoshi to decide."

The hitman was about to say something when Tsuna shifted. The brunet's eyes opened slightly to peer up at the two before finally sighing. "Shut up, Byakuran. Tell Reborn what you want. It doesn't matter anymore."

The mare ring holder just smirked at that and landed right outside Tsuna's room, entering through a conveniently opened window. The white-haired teen placed the brunet onto the bed on his back before settling down onto it at the side, his legs hanging off. His wings had pulled back, the light gone from them. "Well, I'm sure you're well aware, Tsunayoshi, but your body is starting to disintegrate. It's most likely not able to contain your abilities anymore despite being suppressed and it doesn't help when you've been pushing it further than it can handle. The continuous spells and abilities you've been using speeds that up."

Reborn snapped his head up at that, peering at the Mare sky guardian than at his student in surprise. He had already jumped off to the side, leaning against the brunet's chest. "Explain."

"It's simple, Reborn," Tsuna began, knowing better than to let the albino speak for too long due to his personality. "This physical body can not contain my abilities any longer. It's too overwhelming and I knew from the very beginning that this was going to happen…though it came much earlier than I originally thought. I had hoped it would last until this body turns eighteen." The brunet rolled around to get nearer to the edge of the bed, at the wall. This allowed more room for Reborn to move, stepping closer to examine the brunet. His tiny feet sunk into the mattress, but not much compared to Tsuna's body. He could observe the pale complexion and the ragged breathing, the chest barely rising and falling evenly.

"Will it kill you? Or is this fixable?"

"Depends on your view."

Reborn almost growled, despising the questionable responses.

"If I don't get this under control soon, this human body will perish. Technically, that would mean Sawada Tsunayoshi will die."

"Then is there anything we can do?"

Tsuna paused at that and sighed, burying his face into the pillow. "At this moment? Nothing. If I were to try and release more of my powers in order to heal this body, I would simply do the opposite and speed up the process. All I can hope is to get some rest and wait for it to get back under control. I hadn't expected it would suddenly spring up today like this but I guess it was bound to happen with the amount of power I've had to use to help my friends." He shifted once more, getting his hands to move under the pillow to prop his head up. Tsuna was tempted to reach out and grab the hitman, liking it better when he was close by and against his body. Byakuran remained where he was at, swinging his feet almost like a child, and gave a creepy smile. He was humming gently, tilting his head side to side in amusement, while listening to the conversation.

Reborn narrowed his eyes as those words passed Tsuna's lips, not completely understanding what it meant. It was more like he couldn't comprehend how such a thing could happen. How could Tsuna's body contain so much power and yet be uncontrollable? Enough so that it was dangerous to the physical form. 'Just as I thought, he is most definitely hiding much more than I originally thought.' Despite those thoughts, there were still other things he needed to ask about, things about Tsuna's condition. "What happens if it doesn't go back under control?"

"Then Sawada Tsunayoshi dies and I will return back to where I came from," A blunt answer. Tsuna held no hesitation in sprouting that answer out, well aware of the shock that crossed the hitman's expression. He soon gave a small smile and reached up to touch Reborn's cheek. Gently caressing it, he released a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. "However, before that happens, I can go meet up with someone and see if he can fix my body before the worst happens. It's a last resort, but I have a strong feeling that I should go regardless."

"Someone?"

"Veil."

"The mass murderer you mentioned from before?"

"Oh?" Byakuran decided to cut in, his attention focused on the two before him, and let his purple eyes go straight to Tsuna. It was like Reborn held no importance to him. "I don't remember you ever mentioning him before. What kind of demon is he?"

"Tsuna, you're going to tell me what the hell is going on." Reborn almost felt like glaring at his so-called student, the white-haired teen still hanging around like it was a normal occurrence. No, ever since Byakuran had arrived, Tsuna didn't seem to do anything strange towards the other, not even bothering much with the albino's actions and that just made the hitman angry. It wasn't fair. He had been working hard on getting Tsuna to open up for _months_ and someone just had to butt right in out of nowhere and turn that all around. He was already glaring at the Mare ring holder and even more so when the fool suddenly got too close to Tsuna for his liking. He did not like the way Byakuran kept eyeing his student and immediately jumped up onto the brunet's lap as a barrier between the two.

There was a pause in Tsuna as if contemplating on whether or not to tell the truth before nodding his head. Of course, he had outright ignored Byakuran's question. "Yeah, I'll tell you. It's probably best if I let you know now but you'll have to promise never to tell this to anyone else, not to Nono, not to any of the Arcobaleno, no one."

"Tsuna…"

"Reborn, I'm serious. I need you to never relay my identity to anyone else. Can you do that for me?"

It was clear to anyone's eyes that the hitman had many conflicts on that, but in the end, Reborn knew what was best. He would listen and keep his mouth shut. This was his one and only chance at finally get some desperately needed answers. He would take any secret that Tsuna gave him to his grave, he promised that to himself. "Of course," Reborn then snapped his head towards the white-haired teen and was tempted to sneer hatefully. However, despite moving, he kept himself leaning against the warm hand, afraid that if he let go, Tsuna might very well vanish before his eyes. "And before I forget, who exactly are you?"

"Me?" Keeping that creepy grin on, Byakuran pointed to himself mockingly and chuckled. "I'm Byakuran!"

Tsuna sighed and propped himself with pillow against his back as he sat up, leaning against the head of the bed. "You know what? Let me explain, Reborn. You'll understand more from me than the nutcase."

"Hey! That's mean, Tsunayoshi~"

"Anyway, Reborn," The hitman turned back to his student, shifting closer to hear better, and let the hand drift to the bed. The sheets crumpled around the extra weight. "Byakuran is the holder of the Sky Mare ring. It's similar to the Vongola rings and Arcobaleno pacifiers, but these rings allow the bearer to see into different dimensions. The power has been sealed to an extent due to someone's sacrifice in another dimension to prevent the Sky Mare ring holder from abusing its ability and to stop him from destroying the world out of his despair. His sanity was one of the prices he had to pay, much like the Arcobaleno when they lost their original forms had to when they accepted the pacifiers. However, as the sky holder, they are fated much worse. Still, that doesn't stop the current Byakuran from remembering previous experiences. Because of that, he remembers seeing _me_ once long ago but without any of the issues that came with just _knowing_."

"That's right!" The albino grinned, cutting into the conversation. "Another me saw this Tsuna and it took me a while to figure out who he really is. I didn't get the ring until a few months ago along with over a thousand different Byakuran's memories that had been somewhat hazy. It took a while to sort through. Such a pain~"

Reborn remained quiet this entire time, listening carefully to the conversations that were going about. He knew what it meant, about everything, and turned back to Tsuna for more answers. He didn't think he would be finding out about the truth like this and so bluntly, too.

Tsuna gave a soft smile, well aware of the questioning within Reborn's mind. "You are correct, Reborn. I am indeed not the Tsuna from this world. The Tsuna from this world died from cancer a long time ago, I simply took his place. You probably noticed the reports of the cancer suddenly vanishing from this body all of a sudden, that was because I interfered, and took over. I had no intention originally, but the other Tsuna asked me to. So if this body fails, like I said, Sawada Tsunayoshi dies. I will continue to exist but I will return to who I was before I took control." He paused a bit to give Reborn time to process everything before continuing, momentarily sending a glare towards Byakuran's way to keep him shut from saying something unnecessary. "This is one of the things I want you to keep quiet about. Like I said many times before, I have no intention of taking over Vongola. They can keep the Vongola rings and everything else to themselves."

"That's…" Reborn hesitated in replying, but did so in the end. "No, you're still going to become Vongola Decimo. You are still 'Tsuna' regardless even if you came from another world or this one. And Vongola desperately needs an heir that isn't corrupted, one that can bring back the old version of the famiglia."

The brunet shook his head, letting out a small laughter. "You can say that now, but not forever. It's for the best that I don't take over after all. And anyway, I bet another heir will make his appearance sooner or later." Letting out a yawn, he stretched and shifted his body around. "It'll take a while before Takeshi and Gokudera arrive with Shamal since we were already so far away considering the location. Though I doubt the doctor will be able to do anything considering I know what exactly is wrong. Anyway, I'd say an hour or so before they arrive." Tsuna muttered under his breath and turned to Byakuran. "Could you leave for a while? I'd like to talk to Reborn alone. And if possible, keep Fong and the children from coming upstairs as long as possible."

"Awww, that's not fair." Byakuran pouted, poking out his bottom lip.

"If I remember correctly, you still enjoy marshmallows, yes?" The brunet had a little twinkle in his eyes and gave a smirk. "I'll make you that marshmallow pie from all those years ago."

"Okay, I'm on it~" With that, the albino was out, running down the stairs after closing the door right behind without a second thought. The two behind just stared, one clearly not expecting that to happen so easily. They could hear some voices downstairs then some crashes following. Complete chaos was the easiest way of explaining the situation. This left Tsuna and Reborn alone in the room and the brunet suddenly turned his attention to the sun Arcobaleno, shifting downward to lie down.

"Reborn, give me your hand."

The hitman blinked in confusion, not sure on what Tsuna had meant. Why would the other request for his hand? It sounded ridiculous, not when the brunet was lying on the bed looking like he was about to fade away at any moment. It was clear to Reborn's eyes and from his weak understanding of the situation that Tsuna's body was beginning to die off, barely hanging on from the brunet's powers that were flowing through. "Why?"

The brunet just smiled, expecting the reaction and gently pushed his hand outward. "I'm planning on going through with my promise to you."

"Your promise?"

"I'll tell you everything that you had wanted to know for a while now. But I'll simply send you the memories of my past, not all of them, but the basics you need to know. I don't want to overwhelm your mind and there's no point in me telling it when I'm already this ill," The brunet smiled, rolling over so that he could face Reborn easier. "So take my hand if you want to find out the truth but I must warn you, you might not like what you see. They are not pleasant memories, for myself and you. Still, please don't freak out on what you learn. Though, that might be hard. I've done plenty of terrible things in the past. Do I regret them? No. Whether I'll do it again to repeat the madness I've created, who knows." Tsuna smiled gently, shifting slightly in bed to get a better look at the other. "Byakuran already knows a little about my past since he somewhat remembers that time long ago. I'll give you the details of how everything started to an extent."

The hitman didn't hesitate and grasped the outstretched hand tightly, giving a firm squeeze. "I'm not going to back down at anything you say. I want to know more about you, no matter what." He shifted closer so that he could see the face clearly and reached out with his other hand to push a few strands of brown hair out of the face. It gave him a clear view of Tsuna's eyes, everything he was used to after so long.

"If that is what you wish, then alright." Tsuna closed his eyes and returned the grasp, opening his lips to mutter something under his breath. Reborn could only watch in curiosity, wondering how exactly this would work. As he thought that, he found out soon after, just as he felt a sharp spark of pain flood throughout his entire frame and then a building headache that made him almost want to vomit. Letting out a pained grunt, he winced as the ache suddenly increased and then total darkness enveloped him.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by WhiteAngel128 and saphire644
> 
> Edited: 10/18/15

"Such a useless child." Nana sighed as she looked over her youngest son before turning back to fix what had broken. It had been nothing more than a quick stumble by the brunet, tripping on the carpet below, that had caused the accident and he had collided straight into the table where a vase was on top. A loud crash had startled the poor child, earning a scream, and he backed away when he had seen the broken pieces all spread out on the floor. The noise was loud enough to gain the attention of the mother of the house, who stepped in with a scowl once she saw what had transpired. Another brunet, the same size as Tsuna, was peeking out from the side of the kitchen, looking at the two curiously with big blue eyes. Nana, however, just sighed once more and continued to clean. "How could I have given birth to such a person?"

Tsuna sniffed, wanting to release a cry in misery, wanting to say that he was sorry, but the words wouldn't slip out. He backed up against the wall in hopes of blending in and disappearing but it never worked, the child knew that. The disappointing aura from his mother made him shut up, stopping him from doing anything else, and he watched as Nana continued to clean the mess he had accidently created. There were a few mutters of dissatisfaction from her, making Tsuna's heart wrench further in sorrow. When she finished everything, she stood up, giving a small huff at Tsuna before turning away to move back into the kitchen to dispose of the broken glass. It was quiet as he stood there, tears in his eyes, and glanced down at his right forefinger where he had cut himself. A fat droplet of blood fell down his hand, discoloring his skin, and he quickly wiped it against his black shirt in hopes of getting rid of the sight. It made his stomach feel queasy. Red appeared again on his cut, almost like it was bubbling up, and he continued to wipe from the desire to stop it.

The other brunet, obviously older than him, peered back at him for a moment before slipping behind the wall to disappear, to follow Nana. Tsuna trailed afterwards, peeking from behind to look into the kitchen. He watched as the older brunet stepped towards Nana and gave a sigh. The moment his mother saw the other one, she gave a brilliant smile, patting the older brunet on the head with such kindness and love that had never been given to him. Tsuna just stared, unable to do anything else, and sniffed again. His fingers shook violently, not sure on what to do. He was simply a child that didn't know better.

Tsuna wasn't evil, he never had been. He was like every other child, normal, completely and totally normal. He was nothing like he was in the present time, not even close. Perhaps a little clumsy and useless in many things, but was still considered normal, he didn't harm people, he didn't terrorize them. He had a normal family, despite his father's disappearances, with an older brother named Cielo. His brother wasn't a bad sibling. No, he was kindhearted, always looking out for him, and prevented the bullies from coming too close. He was the perfect sibling and Tsuna loved his brother dearly, he felt that he was the closest person to him. They were, after all, twins.

His mother was the same to him, never changing her attitude, but it was clear that she paid more attention to Cielo than him, and his father was rarely ever home. Cielo outshone him in everything, from grades to sports to anything else Tsuna could think of. His older brother was the better one, the perfect child for a family. Because of that, there were many times Mama forgot he was even there in the household. She had even forgotten he had the same birthday as his older brother. He hadn't thought much of it because he had a normal life, a _normal_ family. Nothing that seemed all that odd or strange, it was just fine the way it was. He felt no need to change it and that was what he had considered for most of his life…until he turned six. That was when it all came crashing down.

No, not crashing - shattering.

His mother, his dear wonderful mother, the one who had given birth to him, raised him, and everything. Nana had been one of the two constants in his life and in the end, she had abandoned him in the middle of the street all on his own, telling him to remain in the same spot for as long as possible. Tsuna, being a child who didn't understand why, followed those orders. He didn't know that she had left him there to rot and fade away, never to be seen again. Hours passed, the sun was beginning to set in the distance, and the streetlights were flickering on to push away the darkness that was coming. Still, Tsuna waited like a good child, wanting to follow Nana's directions as closely as possible to make her happy. Eventually, he grew tired of waiting and gave a sniff as he looked around, wanting to head home. It was already late into the night and everything looked scary to a little six-year-old's point of view. People were wandering around: some dressed in barely anything, some calling out to others with an odd look on their faces. A few of those eyes turned his way, reflecting something that made the child shiver, and Tsuna did the only thing he knew best - run.

He ran and ran, avoiding anyone who called out to him, and finally came across a street he recognized, following it home. Eventually, he came up to the one house he had lived in for all of his life, the one place he considered safe. However, before he could reach up to touch the doorbell, to tell someone inside he was home, he heard some laughter and then a voice he didn't recognize. It was deep and unknown and then there was a squeal that belonged to his brother. Curiosity getting the better of him, he ran around the corner to peek inside the living room through the glass windows and saw a strange tall man there with blond hair. Tsuna blinked, wanting nothing more than to knock on the glass to alert them of his presence when his brother, who was being twirled around in the man's arms yelled out.

"Papa!" Cielo cried out happily, full of glee, and wrapped an arm around his, no, their father with a large smile. There was a chuckle ringing out from their supposed father and he twirled his brother around cheerfully. Then his older brother did something that was akin to looking around. Tsuna smiled, his brother was looking for him. "Papa, Mama, where's Tsuna?"

The younger brunet perked up slightly at that and wanted to open his mouth to scream out that he was here, that he was right outside. But then Mama and Papa gave a dim look, a look that he could recognize as annoyance. He went still, a dark foreboding feeling surfacing deep within his mind and soul. Papa was the first one to speak. "Now, now, Cielo, this Tsuna is just nothing more than an imaginary friend. Remember? He was created from your mind and he needs to be left alone so that he can disappear. He's too weak to be around someone like you after all. He'll bring you down."

"That's right, my little Cielo," Nana kneeled down with a wide grin and petted her son on the head gently. "Tsuna never really existed."

"Eh? But Tsuna is my little brother! He's my twin."

"No, he's not. He was just figment of your imagination. Now come, it's your birthday so let's celebrate. I brought lots of presents with me."

"Presents!"

Tsuna stared at the scene and though he was only six, he knew better. Those words… His mind could only process so fast, his eyes watching as Cielo ran away to disappear into the boxes of presents. As he did so, his parents were still talking.

"Now Vongola won't have a useless heir that could get in the way. It was better this way, to get Tsuna out of the picture," Papa spoke, his eyes turning to Nana for a moment, and gave a brilliant smile the next when Cielo came near with a new toy. The moment his brother went away, the dark expression came back. "Cielo will become the perfect boss as Vongola Decimo."

"Yes, without Tsuna around to drag him down, Cielo will gain better heights than ever before."

Tears began to appear in his eyes and before he realized it, he was running away, crying loudly. He tripped a few times here and there and scraped his knees, but he kept going. Was he really that bad of a child? To be abandoned? Was that why he had been left alone? Why didn't Mama and Papa love him? Those thoughts continued to flood his mind, running until he collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion. Tears continued to fall endlessly, snot running down his nose, and everything burned. What had he done to earn his parents' hatred? He didn't understand. He couldn't make sense of it.

" _What's this? A human child?"_

Tsuna blinked curiously and turned around to face a breeze gusting around his tiny body, his eyes staring at the woman before him. It was like she had appeared out of nowhere, almost like a ghost, and the wind continued to blow from behind her body. He didn't move, remaining still as if he had been mesmerized. The woman's frame was tall, an adult, he knew, with a deep black dress that fell below her legs and covered her feet. The ends of the sleeves were baggy and were slowly changing into a gray color as it went further down. A gray strap went around the top, right where the black edges were sticking out around the low collar. Since the dress was so long, it trailed over the ground without a care as she stepped closer and yet didn't seem to be getting dirty in doing so. As the wind blew again, her long black hair that was once resting below her thighs flew out behind her, looking like a veil as the long strands dangled around. Pale white skin with dark gray eyes bore into Tsuna's soft brown ones and he felt himself frozen against the ground as if he had come across someone really important and powerful.

The woman stepped closer, bringing an arm up to cover his mouth with an amused expression on her face. "Well, child? Are you going to talk?"

However, Tsuna didn't and remained cowering, backing away slightly.

A small chuckle came from the adult and she leaned over, her long hair falling over her face. She took in the features and raised an eyebrow in amusement. Why? Tsuna wasn't sure about. "Well, well, what do you know? You look just like him, no, you _do_ look like him. Just younger," This made Tsuna perk up in question, just like him? Was she talking about his brother? "What is your name, little one?"

Mama's voice of telling him to never talk to strangers rang deep in his head, but he ignored it. She had left him into the streets after all. There was no point in following her words any longer. "S-Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"Oh? And even the name is the same. Well, the first I mean. I see, so you must be another version of _him_. Interesting," The woman came closer and then kneeled down, her dress flattening out around her. "My name is Hecate. Would you like to come with me child? There's someone you might want to meet."

"Hecate?" Tsuna finally spoke, stepping closer to look straight at the woman's gray eyes.

"Yes, Hecate, and don't you forget my name. It is a powerful name."

The brunet bit his bottom lip and then nodded to himself, reaching out towards the woman in wonder. She watched him grasp her cold hands carefully, cautiously yet curiously, and stood back up.

"Well then, let's head off. We must hurry before he decides to leave." With that, Tsuna found himself being engulfed in darkness, watching it dance around his body and then surrounded him like a wave. He couldn't see anything, nothing, and the only thing that told him it was alright was the cold grasp on his fingers.

The brunet didn't know what exactly happened, but he remembered being out in the streets, outside. The moment the darkness vanished from around him, he had found himself standing in front of a large mirror in a completely empty room. He surveyed his surroundings curiously, wondering where he was now at. The darkness continued to pull back into his surroundings until it blended in with the shadows on the wall like it was retreating. The woman was still beside him, holding his hand, and released her hold, stepping away. Tsuna blinked his large eyes, wondering what was going to happen next and watched as Hecate stepped forward to tap the mirror at the side. Turning his attention to the mirror, he thought it looked like any other full length one, one that was almost identical to his mother's in her bedroom. However, something was wrong. He could feel the whispers in the back of his mind, telling him so. The brunet felt a shiver run down his spine and suddenly watched as the reflection on the mirror shifted. It swirled around in a circle and a shadow of a person began to appear, limbs and shapes forming. The swirl almost looked like water and it gradually cleared.

And when it did, the child was face to face to what appeared to be…him? To be specific, an older version of him that looked slightly...off.

"Oh? What's this?" The person in the mirror spoke in amusement, stepping closer against the wall that separated the two sides. Tsuna noticed the demonic tail that was swinging side to side below and the two bat-like wings sprouting from the back. He tilted his head at that curiously, eyeing the extra appendages strangely, before turning to the being again. The person wore odd black and orange clothes shaped as a jacket and shorts with long socks. It was a strange appearance, but Tsuna stepped closer regardless. The older being smirked, kneeling down to get a better look. "Another version of me? Of this world? Really, Hecate? Don't you have anything better to do?"

Hecate stepped closer, laughing loudly in delight. "Now, now, I just found the child and brought him here after he agreed."

"I see," The other Tsuna turned his attention back to the child before him and gave a smile. "Well, hello there. My name is Tsunayoshi. I'm from a different world."


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by WhiteAngel128
> 
> Edited : 10/18/15

_"I see," The other Tsuna turned his attention back to the child before him and offered a smile. "Well, hello there. My name is Tsunayoshi. I'm from a different world."_

Those words made the child's eyes widen in shock and he released a small squeak from the back of his throat as he stumbled forward. He wanted to get a better view and the room was too dark to see completely due to the lack of light. Hecate, who was nearby, remained in her spot but suddenly waved her hand upon seeing the child's distress, allowing some lights to magically turn on. Tsuna blinked at the sudden change, shading his eyes momentarily to allow them to adjust, but ignored the sharp pain as he stepped closer, bringing his hand up to touch the adult Tsuna's own that was on the other side of the mirror. He could feel some warmth exchanging from where their palms touched, but that was it. His limb didn't go through the mirror nor did the older Tsuna's. It was like there was a glass wall between them and the younger Tsuna, being curious, peeked around the back of the mirror. Nothing, there was nothing.

Still, the words made the child scrunch his eyebrows in confusion, tilting his head just slightly to the right. All his hair shifted at the balance change. "Y-You're me? But you're much older…"

The other Tsuna just laughed in amusement. "Yes, because I'm from a different world. The mechanics don't work the same as they do over here, but if you'd like to know, I'm much, _much_ older than I look."

"How old?"

"Very," The older Tsuna just chuckled, watching as the other pouted in displeasure. "And call me Tsunayoshi, Tsuna is your name. It'll make things easier to identify so that there's no confusion."

Their hands didn't break apart, still holding together against the glass, and there was a short silence as the two stared at each other. Eventually, the younger Tsuna slumped, letting his eyes shift side to side. "Can you… appear over here?"

At those words, the one in the mirror revealed a small twitch of emotion, his eyes widening before sinking back into place. "Can't. I'm afraid I can't do that. Not in your world's present state," However, when the younger Tsuna's eyes began to tear up, the other continued. "But I can keep you company through your reflections! That way I can't ever leave you alone and so you won't either. I have plenty of time. It's not as if I have anything better to do." The last sets of words were muttered under his breath, enough so that the child didn't hear. "It's not as if time really affects us demons anyway."

At those magical words, little Tsuna brightened up, a large smile appearing on his face. "Really? You won't leave me alone?!"

This made the demonic Tsunayoshi blink curiously and slowly nod his head to confirm.

"Pinky promise?"

"Yeah, pinky promise. We'll just do an imaginary one for obvious reasons."

* * *

Days passed and soon turned into weeks and never once did Tsunayoshi leave him alone. If he did, it was never long, always coming back within thirty minutes. Tsuna felt himself feeling content again, almost forgetting about his real family that had abandoned him. It was like those days were gone within his mind, sinking down to be sealed away into the back. During that time, Hecate helped from the request of Tsunayoshi to teach the child how to cook for himself lest he starved. Tsuna struggled due to his tiny size, but made do with microwaveable foods and easy-to-make containers. It was all he could handle for the time being. The woman never stayed long, appearing out of nowhere for a few moments before disappearing once more into the darkness. Though, Tsuna did find out, to his utter astonishment, that the woman actually had feet underneath those dark robes.

There was someone else that Tsuna would see now and then, but it was merely a glance. The man came mostly during the night, appearing as a shadowy figure before disappearing once more, and since it always happened so late, Tsuna was normally asleep during those times. It made him curious, but he was only a child, his body couldn't keep awake that long into the night, but it was this figure that kept the place fully stocked with food. Tsunayoshi would just chuckle in amusement, speaking freely to Tsuna. There were times when Tsuna needed to head outside and though there was the fear of something happening, the older brunet would follow in the reflections. It was like a weight had been lifter off the child's mind and before long, he became confident enough to enjoy being out in the sun compared to the tiny, cramped apartment. Weeks passed by comfortably and Tsuna fell into a rhythm he was growing comfortable with. Though he didn't go to school, Tsunayoshi made sure he kept up with his lessons, teaching him what humans needed to know. The only thing the demon couldn't teach was history.

Soon, child Tsuna began to spill out the entire truth about his family, leaving out not even a single detail over what had transpired between him and his family. He cried the entire time, feeling the tears fall down his face continuously and peered towards his reflection with hope. Tsunayoshi offered comforting words, trying to help despite the issue between them. Minutes later, the crying began to slow down, the child curling up next to the mirror where he could feel the light warmth coming from the other side.

It was clear to the younger brunet that he had seen the desperation of the other wanting to come over and hold him, but it wasn't possible. The demon could only offer words of comfort but it wasn't enough. Tsuna wanted the other to physically come over to his side. He wanted Tsunayoshi beside him. Those thoughts began to grow stronger and stronger as he aged and before long, it finally came to the end with him wanting to be held in the arms of the one person who truly understood him, the one person who truly cared and loved him for who he was.

If only he knew those thoughts would cause his downfall into darkness.

* * *

"Hey, Tsunayoshi?" Tsuna asked one day, almost eight now, and his hair had grown out slightly. Its spikiness was beginning to really reveal itself, mimicking the demon's looks. His eyes were still overly large, but over time a swirl of darkness began to appear within the honey color. It was ignored, never touched upon. The brunet had learned how to cook, almost becoming an expert in the short time he had been living alone. He didn't understand how the world worked, much less, how he was able to stay in such a place, but he'd never bothered to question. He was comfortable with how things were, never interacting with people outside for more than needed. Everything he needed was right before him after all.

His reflection stared back, settled down on the ground with his legs crossed, and waved his tail from behind as if saying he had heard. His wings stretched behind before curling around his body as comfort. Tsunayoshi had clearly begun to notice it - the madness that was beginning to form within that tiny body, but he did nothing to stop it. The demon didn't want to.

"I want to meet you in person," The child reached forward to touch his reflection, eyes filled with desperation. "H-How would I be able to accomplish that?"

At first, Tsunayoshi's normally smiling face fell, his eyes widening, and eventually shook his head. "I'm afraid that… isn't possible. The Tri-Ni-Set here places a barrier against demons, that's why there aren't very many wandering about, though we can still influence people. Hecate isn't a demon but an immortal being, a witch, so she's able to get past. I, however, cannot. It's tricky working since Hecate can still be considered a demon though not technically speaking."

"And how would one break this barrier? To let you through. I want you over here in this world. I don't want to go to your side, not yet."

The reflection paused, his eyes searching within those desperate honey-colored ones. "Well…" He hesitated, reminding himself that the person before him was just a normal human child, and a child wouldn't have the power to do such things. There was also the thought of tainting such a kindhearted self…

"You would need to conduct a ritual, a very dangerous ritual," A female voice spoke up, Hecate materializing herself from the darkness behind the child. Two pair of eyes snapped towards her location, one in surprise while the other held wonder. Her body swayed as she walked, stepping closer to the child with a frown. "It's a ritual that requires sacrifices, lots of them, about one million humans. Along with those sacrifices, you need to destroy the holders that maintain the Tri-Ni-Set and steal the items that go with them." Tsuna didn't flinch at those words and continued to stare, listening to everything carefully. At that, Hecate went on with the details, "You'll need the blood of the current Vongola Ring holders, the flesh of the current Mare Ring holders, and the beating hearts of the Arcobaleno. I have no doubt that there's an extremely high chance you'll be fighting against your blood relatives. Is that alright with you?"

Not even showing an ounce of hesitation, Tsuna nodded immediately, his eyes narrowing in concentration.

"Fine, I see your resolve. Even if we were to tell you otherwise, you'd figure it out on your own sooner or later. Continuing on from before, it's only when you gather all those pieces that you'll be able to break the barrier. In turn, with this, you'll pull this world into Hell and let it be consumed by the demons - it's like merging Hell and this mortal realm together as one. Through this ritual you will likely destroy this world completely." She shuffled closer and kneeled down in front of the child. It was almost as if she were acting like a mother, carefully selecting her words so the other would understand, and yet at the same time it wasn't. Tsunayoshi in the background almost snorted in amusement at the actions, but resisted due to the seriousness of the situation. "However, the you now doesn't have the power to perform such an act. You wouldn't even be able to touch the Arcobaleno."

Tsuna stared at the Hecate, then at Tsunayoshi as if deciding something, before nodding to himself. He clenched his fingers deep into the palm of his hands, biting down on his bottom lip, and finally answered, "Tell me how to get this power. I will meet Tsunayoshi in person, in this world, no matter what," He snarled, slamming his fist against the floor. The two adults in the room just stared, glancing at each other momentarily, before returning their gazes to the brunet. The child whispered soon after, " _No matter what_."

* * *

And learn he did. Hecate, a witch, trained him in her magic, from the smallest things to spells that were beyond his capability. He quickly learned that her name, her title, 'The Queen of Witches', was not to be taken lightly. She excelled in everything she taught, making everything look so simple, almost like it was as easy as breathing. Hecate, one of the Demonic rulers of Hell, made sure that everything Tsuna learned would be useful in taking care of his mission, leaving nothing out. Of course, the brunet quickly found out that Hecate had a slight weakness towards children and women, despising men deeply as if they were the vilest things in the world. It was funny to watch her react. Tsunayoshi, on the other hand, taught him some of his own magic through the mirror, handing items to Hecate to transfer over to share.

He learned all he could from the two, well the magic that was within his physical range, and quickly began to target the humans outside his room as experiments and practice. It didn't matter what spell he used, he wanted to become the best to fulfill his wish. It was all that mattered to him now.

He killed many people. How he did it mattered little to him – be it burning the victims alive, suffocation, electrocution, drowning… Each and every spell was used in one way or another, nothing was missed. Before long, torture mixed into his practice, he used various methods from twisting a person limbs to ripping them apart. He combined his new found torture practices with his spells to make a destructive combo. Tsuna even went to the point of kidnapping with the help of Hecate and tormenting his victims for hours before finally putting them out of their misery. It was all so easy.

Tsunayoshi didn't mind, giving tips from the sidelines as if nothing was wrong, and it wasn't long before Tsuna gained a name for himself within his world. Of course, no one knew who he was, only that he was torturing people both from the underworld (not Hell) and the innocents. All they could do was cower and hope they weren't the next victim. The media kept concocting rumors and the internet eventually created a name to identify Tsuna. They called him 'Sinister'. It was, after all, easier for the media to recognize their killer if they had something to call them. Still, it didn't matter if Tsuna's actions were gaining publicity, the humans were good practice targets and those he murdered went towards the one million sacrifices he required.

Before long, he reached the limits of his human body, unable to learn any more powerful magic than he already had. His physical form could only handle so much stress from a single spell, much less multiple ones. However, that was fine. Hecate and Tsunayoshi had both stated that he had more than enough to fulfill his wishes with little to no trouble at all. Three years since the start of his training - now eleven - he set out of his tiny apartment to gather the required material for the beginning of his ritual. He would succeed, he would make sure of that.

* * *

He had started with the smaller mafia famiglias through the advice of Tsunayoshi and quickly made his way up, slaughtering them whenever he felt the need. This was all done within seconds. It was easy, so very simple, to destroy humans' fragile lives. It was almost effortless, the way their bodies splattered across the ground. He loved to watch them scream in misery as they felt their very life slipping away.

Still, it wasn't enough. There wasn't enough bloodshed and he had only managed to get a fourth of the way through the next three years – now making him fourteen. He needed do to something faster, something that would create mass causalities, and quickly.

That was when he came across the Mare Sky Ring holder during one of his killing sprees on an ally of theirs.

"Oya? Who is this?" Byakuran looked over the now fourteen-year-old with a creepy smile, but he knew the other was unaffected by it. Tsuna's face twisted slightly as he peered down at the sky Mare ring, his mind already running through the possibilities. He could get one of his needed items for the ritual, right here, right now. However, the albino just stood there with a creepy grin, not bothered by the corpses surrounding them or the blood that was raining down from the ceiling. The brunet found himself freezing in curiosity, knowing he could feel Tsunayoshi's presence close by, watching through one of the metal reflections from various weapons. Neither of the two humans spoke, simply staring at each other curiously. Then Byakuran spoke with that mocking tone, "I don't know what you're planning, but… would you like some help?"

That made Tsuna pause. "Huh? Help?" He blinked questionably and then tilted his head, letting his caramel-colored locks slide across his face.

"As you probably already know, I'm the boss of the Millefiore famiglia, a quickly growing group in the underworld. As for you, you seem to be killing people for something, or is it for fun? It doesn't matter to me," The albino treaded closer, stepping over the bodies, and ignored the yelling that was occurring in the background. He didn't care - his focus was only on the brunet before him. "So, would you like some help? In exchange, tell me what you're planning. It sounds so interesting compared to just working in those boring rooms."

Tsuna continued to stare at the other questionably, no trust within those honey-colored eyes. He took a step back, gaining some distance between them just in case. He would take no chances in the possibility of having his wish destroyed. "Why should I?"

As those words slipped by, Byakuran smirked, stepping closer once more as a sinister expression began to grow. Both purple eyes were open wide, peering up at the ceiling with a small bout of laughter. "Because I've grown bored of this world, Vongola Decimo here isn't as interesting here as he is in the other worlds. You, Sawada Tsunayoshi, was supposed to become Decimo, but that idiotic brother of yours did instead. He's so boring, it's so easy to tell what he's thinking, and I don't even need to use the powers of the Mare ring to know. If you can make it more interesting, I'll help you however you want."

Tsuna narrowed his eyes at the proclamation, thinking about the pros and cons, before smiling in return. Perhaps he could use the older teen before him and if there were any signs of something going wrong, he would take care of it. This would just be another step forward towards his plan. And so he spoke of his plot and as he did so, he could see Byakuran's smile growing wider and wider with each passing second. Before long, the white-haired teen was laughing loudly, a laugh filled with madness and insanity. The men that were behind him were staring, unable to hear the conversation, and shivered at their boss's laughter.

"This is brilliant, _absolutely brilliant_! I love it, Tsunayoshi, no Tsuna!" The Mare ring holder eventually calmed down and leaned forward towards the teenager with his arms against his waist. "And I know exactly how to help you. Let's start a war, a war between Vongola and Millefiore. It'll be a war that will include hundreds of other mafia famiglias in between, a war that will engulf this wretched planet. That will give you more than enough lives for your ritual! One million corpses will be nothing! We can double that! Triple that! And with Vongola involved, you will be able to get the rings from their side, and the Arcobaleno will be dragged in-between our play of destruction in their effort to keep the balance. Those babies will have no choice but to be involved," Byakuran spun around, kicking a body to the side, and turned back with a grin, holding out his hand. "I want to see the destruction you can create! Come! Let us work together for your goals, Tsuna. You can take my flesh and my ring if you like, but keep me alive to the end to see this world disintegrate! I want to watch it burn alive before my very eyes!"

The brunet stared, not believing his ears. He had somehow gotten someone to join his reign of madness, someone to back him up. The scheme, it was perfect, a war that will be endless in nature. Tsuna laughed, reaching forward to grasp the outstretched hand, sealing the agreement. "That shouldn't be a problem at all."


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by WhiteAngel128 and Ankou13
> 
> Edited : 10/18/15

Just as Byakuran had planned they started a war - a war that shook the entire underworld. People were being slaughtered before Tsuna's eyes, their corpses lining up as far as his eyes could see. Countless famiglia were being dragged into the crossfire only to vanish. The body count he needed was rising up drastically, quickly passing the middle mark within months. The Millefiore had gained powers so unbeatable that the mafia tore itself apart trying to defend against them. Groups begged to be a part of Millefiore in the hope of being spared while those connected to Vongola were completely wiped out. With the combination of both Byakuran and Tsuna's minds and powers, nothing stood in their way. They eliminated everything with ease and cared little for the results. They were indestructible and during the times when they weren't plotting the world's destruction, they managed to get along quite well, almost as if they were close friends.

Tsuna listened to the albino's story about how he had obtained the Mare ring, receiving it by mistake from Shoichi Irie's usage of the ten-year bazooka. Byakuran told him how the constant appearance of Shoichi in multiple worlds had awoken his abilities, allowing him to see into different dimensions and obtain the knowledge that existed in those other universes. The Millefiore boss even willingly explained Tsuna's real role in other worlds, being Vongola Decimo, and constantly fighting against him despite knowing he would lose in the end. To the albino, having the brunet, who was different compared to all the rest, next to him was amusing and never once did he find himself growing bored.

Tsuna kept quiet about most of his history, his lips sealed on the subject about Tsunayoshi, but didn't mind spilling the past about his family. He wanted to keep the demon to himself, he knew he was being selfish but he didn't care. Tsunayoshi was his secret to keep and he didn't want anyone else to know. The demon didn't mind, enjoying his other self's company more than anyone else's, and complied with the teenager's wishes.

One day, Byakuran decided to make a direct attack on Vongola, an attack that would earn them the attention of all the leaders running the organization. It was an attack that would drag all the members of the Tri-Ni-Set into their plans and consequently right into Tsuna's waiting hands. It was an attack on CEDEF. When Tsuna had first heard about it, he listened closely, knowing very well that his asshole of a father was the leader of the group. He didn't care much in hearing how his so-called father was doing or who he was friends with. However, the brunet couldn't help but feel an uncontrollable rage when he learned about a boy named Basil, someone his father obviously trained and cared about more so than Cielo. Whenever he saw the sandy-blonde's picture, Tsuna fingers would tighten around the image until he unconsciously turned it to ash.

"Tsuna, do you want to lead the attack?" Byakuran smirked, popping a large marshmallow into his mouth and ignored the yells to stop courtesy of a certain red-haired male. He chewed happily, tempted to stick his tongue out towards Shoichi like a child, and held the bag of sweets against his chest.

The brunet hummed to himself before nodding his head. "Yeah, I want to. I want to be the one to kill Iemitsu and make him pay for everything he's done." He leaned against the arm of his chair, smirking devilishly as he thought about the revenge he could extract, the fulfillment he would receive. Killing his own flesh and blood would be perfect, it would be satisfying. He chuckled darkly at the thought, his heartbeat speeding up from the excitement. "But I'll go on my own. I have more than enough power to wipe out the entire place on my own. I only want some backup behind just in case. Things can always go wrong after all and I don't want to take any chances at having my plans ruined when we've come this far."

The albino just laughed, his fingers squishing into one of the white puffs. "I have no issues with that. However, I have a small request. Make sure to bring the severed head of Iemitsu back to me. I have a wonderful ploy I'd like to use it for." He tossed the marshmallow into the air and tilted his body slightly to the side as the white puff came back down. With his mouth open he caught the sweet with his teeth, chewing contently. "I want to feature it in a video for the whole Vongola to see, taunting them about how useless and pathetic they are. And I bet that mother of yours would _love_ to receive it in the mail~"

"Oh? That sounds wonderful. I like it," Tsuna grinned, straightening his back as he thought over Byakuran's words. "In fact I think I _love_ it." His honey-colored eyes glanced towards the other, then at the surrounding men, the ones that Byakuran had recruited to be his ring holders. They knew very well about Tsuna's plans and despite knowing the end result, went along with the idea for their beloved boss. As long as their boss ordered them, they would follow the scheme without a second thought. Suddenly, Tsuna stood up from his seat, grinning darkly. "I want to get started immediately."

* * *

Tsuna yawned, stretching his arms behind his back and took a look at his surroundings in boredom. He was on the top floor of the CEDEF building, the floor where most of the major group was located. It was also the level where all the important orders were carried out and received. Chuckling softly, he stepped forward towards the desktop near the back, kicking corpses aside with little regard. Everyone around him was dead, he had made sure of that, and all the technology that could catch his face was destroyed to prevent exposure. There was no stopping him and there was no escape, everyone was destined to die the moment he entered the building. He passed two bodies he recognized: Basil, the bastard child that his father had loved more than his own, and Lal Mirch, the failed Arcobaleno. Merely sparing them passing a glance, he continued on. He had more important things to do. Tsunayoshi was beside him in the reflections, keeping him company like always. This time, the demon had his wings out, fluttering along quickly so that he could keep up with Tsuna.

"I see you're enjoying yourself," The older being spoke, currently in the reflection of a glass door, arms folded across his chest as he looked over the area. "And your skills have definitely improved greatly over the years. Your coordination and mental capacity has grown far above an average human."

Tsuna ignored the surrounding blood that coated every visible surface and glanced towards his companion. He had a eager expression. "Are you proud of me?"

"Yes actually, I am. And you're such a cute kid, too."

A pout adorned the younger brunet's lips. He wasn't pleased by the comment. "I'm not a kid."

"Well compared to me, you are."

"You're ancient, everyone is a kid to you."

Tsunayoshi was the one pouting now, looking a little depressed, even all the extra attachments connected to his body tilted downwards in gloom. The teenager just chuckled, continuing on his path towards the head office where his biological father was. He knew the man was already dead - he had made sure of it. Tsuna didn't want the offense of actually speaking to that repugnant excuse of a man, not at all. As he stepped around the desk, ignoring the rest of the corpses, he peered down at the one before him, eyeing at the person who had provided half of his DNA. Sneering, he knelt down and got to work, not at all caring about what he was going to do. It didn't even bother him as Tsuna made the first incision into the neck. Tsunayoshi just watched, offering comments here and there to make things smoother. He was smiling gently at the sight of the boy.

* * *

Days after the attack, the entire Vongola was in an uproar, calling out for the blood of the Millefiore. Tsuna and Byakuran just watched in amusement as it occurred, not bothered by the nonsense they were spewing. Everything was falling right into their hands and so easily, too. Vongola was just too straightforward to employ manipulation when it came to the burning sensation of the human emotions. Battles occurred more often, the Vongola fading away as Millefiore's superior forces wiped them out with little to no trouble; soon they quickly overwhelmed the army.

It wasn't long before the two began to plan on obtaining the last of the items Tsuna needed for his ritual. The war between the two groups had obtained more than enough bodies and blood for Tsuna, everything was piling up and beginning to rot on the ground. With the Millefiore rings and their holders with him, all he needed was the blood of the Vongola ring holders and the hearts of the Arcobaleno. Tsuna suddenly smiled at the thought of the former.

Ah, that's right. His _brother_ was the current holder along with his precious friends, all just waiting to be killed off. The brunet tilted his head as he remembered the last few moments of seeing his brother. He didn't hate him, his brother hadn't done anything wrong, but they were on the opposite sides and Cielo held the items he needed. There was no getting around it. If he wanted to complete the ritual then it had to be done.

Tsuna smirked as he thought further into everything, yes, this was going to be fun and he would make sure to destroy his entire family. After all, everyone was going to die sooner or later. He'd just make it sooner.

* * *

Tsuna stepped down the walkway, already knowing exactly who he would be meeting along this route. It was too obvious. He already heard what had happened when he had sent his father's head back to the Sawada household. The rumors of their reaction was brilliant, enough to make him laugh, and Nana had ended up being sent to the psych ward for a mental breakdown. He grinned in amusement, enjoying how everything was going. Not once had he regretted his alliance with Byakuran, the albino was just as screwed up mentally as he was. Of course, he made sure to take things a step forward and burned the entire psych ward down, effectively killing all the occupants within, his mother included.

His eyes caught sight of his older brother making his way up the walkway, laughing lightly together with all of his guardians within range. The cloud one was hiding in the shadows, keeping an eye out for the boss, while everyone else crowded closely around the brunet in the center. The second mist guardian was there as well, having been released through some manipulation from Vongola's side in order to help fight the war. There were three extra girls Tsuna didn't recognize through the surveillance videos, but it didn't matter, he didn't care. Concern flashed through everyone's eyes as they stared at Cielo, knowing he had just recently recovered from his own panic attack from seeing his father's sliced off head only to find that his entire family had been wiped out. Cielo's mental state was crumbling and it was clear to anyone that saw him that he was in no state for a fight regardless of Vongola's orders to bring everyone in for battle. Reborn, the sun Arcobaleno, was resting on Cielo's head, looking impassive towards everything.

Tsuna found this moment perfect to step out into the center of the pathway, making himself known to all eyes. He was prepared for what he was about to do.

There was a pause as the group took in the younger brunet, confusion evident on their faces as they peered over Tsuna and Cielo's appearances. They were brothers after all, twins specifically, and it wasn't impossible for them to share the same looks regardless of how much they've grown over the years. As the guardians and other members of the group mulled over Tsuna's appearance, they forgot to pay attention to Cielo… because the Vongola heir knew _exactly_ who he was looking at. Cielo took a step back, freezing into place as fear shrouded his eyes, and slowly opened his mouth to speak, "B-brother? I-Impossible, I thought you were just-"

"Your imagination?" Tsuna interrupted, stepping closer with a smirk, "How rude. I was real, though I can't blame you for thinking otherwise, you were quite young. That and you were brainwashed by both Iemitsu and Nana."

"I-I didn't know. I should have known that-that…"

The younger brunet just rolled his eyes, obviously not caring for the continuation of the conversation. "I don't care anymore. I need something you have," He pointed outward towards the Vongola rings, gaining the attention of everyone around him. The guardians were already tensing up, getting ready to fight, and Reborn had Leon transform into his usual gun. To them, it was clear he was an enemy. Still, ignoring the threat towards his life, Tsuna smirked, "Though, I do hope you got my little present, revenge is quite sweet I will admit."

Cielo's eyes widened as those words slipped by, understanding the hidden meaning underneath. "You… did that? You killed our father and sent his head to Mom?"

"What are you talking about?" Tsuna just laughed, taking amusement in seeing his so-called brother's face contort into misery. "I'm no longer a Sawada, remember? I was abandoned by Nana in a street to disappear forever so that I wouldn't taint your brightness. I have more than enough reasons to take some revenge after all they did to me. You were always the child who was well-loved, the child who was chosen to become the heir, the one that would gain all the attention in the world. Luckily for you, I don't care anymore, there's nothing to care about anymore. However, there's something I need and you have it. I won't let anyone stand in my way of obtaining it." Within seconds after finishing his words, Tsuna struck.

"Juudaime!"

"Cielo!"

Red, red and _more_ red - that was all Tsuna could see as he tore everyone apart into pieces. He took pleasure in separating the body parts, offering no hesitation towards the girls despite having a strong gut feeling that they were simply innocents. He didn't care, there was no need to. Within moments, he had obtained both the blood and the rings he needed for the ritual, grasping everything in one hand. His eyes watched as the residual blood drip off his fingers, pooling below his feet. He immediately teleported all of it back to the Millefiore base, directly into the room where he knew Byakuran would be, where it would be preserved and saved. His honey-colored eyes peered over the bloody field, not caring that it was in the middle of the day with families living within viewing distance of the carnage. They were all going to die in the end anyway.

As he stared at the ground where his brother, brother's guardians and friends laid, his eyes turned to the one person that had managed to survive his ruthless slaughter. He chuckled, staring at the wide-eyed sun Arcobaleno, whose tiny fingers were shaking in a mixture of horror and fear, with a maniacally gleeful grin. Looks like he could start on the last set he needed and Reborn would be the first one to go.

"Now I need the hearts of the Arcobaleno. Goodbye, Reborn."

More red filled his vision as he watched the life drain out of the number one hitman's eyes. He laughed aloud in amusement.

* * *

Yuni snapped her head up towards the sky, tears falling down her cheeks with no signs of stopping anytime soon. She knew why she was crying, she could feel it pulsing deep within her soul. Her fellow Arcobaleno were… dying. They were being killed off, tormented in their very last moments, before the darkness took over. She could feel the agonizing pain coming back to her, feeling the Arcobaleno's last breathing moments. Yuni couldn't understand why someone would do such a thing like that, why they were destroying the balance so willingly. And yet, there was little she could do. She could give up her life to bring everyone back, but they would only suffer more. Whoever was killing them off would come back and do the same all over again. That and whoever it was holding the pacifiers, her fellow Arcobaleno would have no choice but to reappear before their killer once more, never getting the chance to escape. In the end, there was no point in doing anything.

Yuni sniffed, wiping some of her tears away with her fingers and went back to staring out the window. There was nothing she could do, she was held captive by the Millefiore ever since their famiglias teamed up and combined. Very little of her original group was left, most had converted to Byakuran's ideals while others had been killed off to keep them silent. However, with her holed up, she was preventing anymore unnecessary deaths to her family, keeping them safe within her prison. She wouldn't be able to forgive herself if anything were to happen to the people closest to her. Her mother was the first victim, killed by Byakuran's men as a warning to her disobedience.

"Princess?"

The girl looked over at Gamma with tear-soaked eyes and shook her head, letting a few more drops slip down. "Gamma, could you please leave? I'd like to be alone." She cradled her pacifier and continued to cry even when the other left the room, knowing very well that the man was worried about her. Her large eyes peered over to the side and noticed a figure that hadn't been there before covered by the darkness. Yuni didn't smile, her lips wouldn't move from the thin line it was placed in except when speaking. "Have you come to kill me as well?"

There was a snort and a shift of movement. "You're the last one I need to complete everything," Tsuna smiled manically, no innocence in sight, and stepped forward with his hands covered in blood. The stench of it saturated the air, droplets dripping off to stain the floor in a deep sea of red. "Once I have your heart and pacifier this world will fall into the darkness and be destroyed."

"Why?" She asked, rotating her body around to face her soon-to-be killer. She wanted to know the reason behind all this madness, behind all the killing.

"So I can finally touch the person that cares about me, the only person," There was a flash of loneliness within those honey-colored eyes but it was gone the next moment. "And no one will stand in my way of meeting him. Not even you, Sky Arcobaleno."

Yuni blinked her eyes rapidly before finally closing them in silence. She let her body remain still, the tears slowing down, and took a deep breath. She would either die by Tsuna's hand or by sacrificing herself to revive the Arcobaleno only to have them die once again by Tsuna's hand. It wasn't worth it, none of it. She knew when everything was over, there was nothing else she could do but surrender and give into her fate. "Could you make my death painless?"

"If that is what you wish then I shall grant you a peaceful death. Goodbye, Arcobaleno of the sky."

* * *

Tsuna examined the world from where he was standing, peering over the landscape as it burned before his very eyes. He was on top of the Millefiore base, high above the ground in the dead center of a city. His arms were dyed red, the rich liquid dripping off his fingertips and the ground surrounding him was decorated with limbs. Everyone in the building was dead… except for the Mare ring holders, who were breathing their last. They were still barely alive, cradling their wounds, but they too were looking over the burning Earth. Byakuran, however, remained behind him, wanting that first row view of the destruction Tsuna would create. He watched with mesmerized eyes as everything was torn asunder. He would die soon, he knew that, but he felt only fulfillment as he watched the world follow him.

Everything was diminishing at long last, turning into ash. Tsuna began to laugh, his eyes wide as his voice rang out into the screams below. He had completed it, the ritual, everything was done. This world was slowly falling into Hell, the Tri-Ni-Set barrier that was keeping the demons trapped was now broken, and out spilled the creatures to rapidly devour everything they could touch. The monsters were killing every human they came across, it didn't matter if it was food or not, and before long, the whole world was dyed in a bright red. More screams from the people filled the air, the stench of death and blood choking it. With this ritual completed, Tsuna had gained more power from having the Tri-Ni-Set within his very palms, manipulating the powers that belonged to it. Regardless, it didn't matter, he didn't care. Because to him, he would be finally able to meet the one person he had wanted to for such a long time, be able to touch him, be able to smell him.

"Tsuna."

The brunet turned around slowly, still wearing that crazy grin of his, only to pause. There behind him stood the one person he had been seeking this entire time, just standing a few feet away. Now that he was able to get a better look at the demon, he was much older, probably appearing physically in his mid-to-late twenties, and yet the same exact features they shared were still present. They stared at each other, the demonic Tsunayoshi flicking his tail side to side while his wings were flexed. The surrounding fire made his body glow, his horns against his head reflecting it. Even amidst the flames and destruction, both were calm and soon Tsunayoshi was stepping forward.

Tsuna didn't move, he was simply watching and waiting for a response and, when they were just an inch or two apart, the demon finally reacted. A pair of arms wrapped around him tightly, an embrace that was awkward yet warm, and Tsuna felt himself getting buried into his other's chest. He was about a head shorter and could feel the demon's chin against the top of his skull. He blinked in confusion, not sure on how to react and shifted in the grasp to peer up tenderly. "Tsunayoshi?"

"It's okay now. You're not alone anymore," The demon whispered, tightening his hold and rubbed the younger brunet's back gently with care. "I'm here and will always be around whenever you need me."

And just like that, Tsuna broke down crying. Those words, that hug, that was all he had ever wanted. That was it - the love that he couldn't feel though the glass, the love he had been missing all his life. He had finally gotten what he had wanted all along.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by WhiteAngel128 and Ankou13
> 
> Edited : 10/18/15

"With your new powers, you've become quite a powerful being. No human can defeat you. However, if you'd like you can become even more powerful," Tsunayoshi looked over his younger self, patting the younger brunet's caramel-colored hair with amusement. His wings were wrapped around the teenager carefully, tucking the other in with a gentleness that didn't really belong to a demon. "And you can do that if you give up your humanity, the part that is holding you down, and stay with me in Hell."

Tsuna peered up from within the demon's grasp in curiosity, his eyes momentarily flickering around the area. Hell wasn't as he had imagined, well, at least this part of Hell. Apparently the place he was now living in was Tsunayoshi's realm, a part of Hell he ruled over, and there was absolutely nothing in it. The castle that was King of Time's home was just floating in space with the surrounding area deserted of all life. It was… empty. From what he had heard from the demon, this realm didn't really work well with life and suited the older Tsuna's abilities perfectly. He eventually brought his attention back to the demon. "Humanity?"

"You can become an immortal being like Hecate. You won't become a full-fledged demon like me, but instead a sorcerer, like a partial. Without your human form restricting you, you'll become an extremely powerful being and work with magic you couldn't even dream of before." Tsunayoshi ran his fingers through the soft hair, comforting the other as his wings flexed. They were both sitting on the demon's throne, the elder being on the bottom with the human sprawled over his lap. Tsuna had his arms wrapped around the neck, comfortable with his position despite the oddity. "Are you okay with that?"

"If I can stay with you, then yes, I'm alright with that. I don't have anyone else but you now."

"Then I shall help you succeed in acquiring your own throne."

And that was exactly what Tsuna did. With no hesitation, Tsuna threw away his useless human form and adopted an immortal one similar to his original. However, he did make a few changes to it. They were simple alterations, the most important being the aging of his looks. He could now be considered an adult to anyone that saw him, looking exactly like Tsunayoshi without the extra demonic appendages. Within the following years, he quickly worked his way up through the ranks of Hell using the training and knowledge he had gained from various others. With Tsunayoshi's help, he surpassed areas other demons could never touch, making a name for himself in the underworld and earning the respect of various Demonic Kings and Queens.

He never paid any attention to the world outside his own, not that it mattered anymore since there was nothing outside to look for. Everything he needed was within his reach. Learning of the outside gave him nothing but a burning hatred towards humanity and there were times, with a cruelty more deadly than a demon, he struck down the humans with joy. Tsuna took pleasure in slaughtering billions, tearing them to pieces, and burning their world to the ground. The King of Time and even other Demonic rulers sometimes lent a hand to his destruction, not minding the scorching pathway before them.

* * *

"So, you're the immortal Tsuna? The one I've been hearing about."

The brunet was down on one knee, his show of respect towards the being in front of him obvious from his pose. His head was tilted downwards with his eyes closed which he opened momentarily to stare at the red carpet beneath his feet. He was dressed in his white uniform with a cape that had red insides, showing elegance despite being on the floor. "Yes, that's correct."

"I see. Alright, I've made my decision," The being continued on and there was a shift of clothes from him, but Tsuna never once looked up. He couldn't afford any mistakes right now, none. "There is no doubt that I was also swayed by some others but their opinions are valid. The King of Time, Tsunayoshi, oddly wasn't the most vocal about this, but he knows he couldn't afford to be considering he's the closest to you. He didn't want to make it look like he was pulling too many favors and he's one of the few Demonic rulers that knows about politics. Instead, you've gained support from others I wasn't exactly expecting." The demon before Tsuna continued on, speaking in a deep tone that demanded respect. "There were the 'King of Lust', Veil, 'Queen of Water', Ceslestia, 'King of Water', Higashi, 'King of Wind', Nishi, and many others standing up for you. Even my right-hand man, Lloyd, agreed, but I suspect it was more from his private group, the Vengers."

Tsuna continued to remain still, his mind flashing back to the various people who had helped him get this far. He was grateful to each and every one of them. Many of them were now his closest friends, his trusted allies.

"So after thinking about this whole idea, I've decided to give you the title you've desired for such a long time," There was a low chuckle from the being in front and Tsuna nearly let out a gasp in shock. "With the power invested in me, Drake, the King of Demons, I'll give you the title of 'Sorcerer King'. You are now among the ranks of the Demonic Kings and Queens of Hell. Rise."

And Tsuna did, getting onto his feet while hiding his happiness under a strict emotionless mask. His eyes turned to the figure before him, staring straight at the King of Demons himself. He looked like a human, but the large wings on his back that could be associated with a bat's said otherwise. There was no tail, no horns, nothing else that really made him stand out like the other demons he had met in the past. His clothes consisted of a long black heavy coat with the end shredded and a large silver chain running along his waist. His short, spiky black hair framed his face and only flattened where an eye patch covered his left eye. His pants were dark as well, torn here and there, and were tucked into his knee length boots that were heavy in appearance from the chains that went around the front. However, the aura that constantly surrounded him elicited respect, as such no one wanted to disobey, not even Tsuna himself. Suddenly, the King of Demons stood up and stepped down from his throne, making his way towards the brunet with a dull expression. His steps were heavy and his coat swished side to side, its tails billowing along behind him. His wings were folded up neatly and as he got closer Tsuna could make out the light designs on his clothes.

Drake stopped just a foot away and outstretched his hand, opening his fingers to reveal a single object. There, in his palm, was a ring, a very familiar ring. "This ring is yours to keep. It has been infused with a special magic that will be more useful on your end. It's proof of your inheritance and you can use it throughout the entirety of Hell to verify your identity. Your new title is 'Sorcerer King' and you can rule the piece of Hell I shall give you however you like or you may also deny it. I have no intention of interfering with whatever ideas you have as long as it doesn't come back to me. I am a fair ruler of Hell and all the current Kings and Queens respect me. I hope that you, too, will one day do the same and answer whenever I call for your need."

Tsuna grasped the ring, placing it onto the middle finger of his right hand immediately. He gave a soft smile, looking straight up into the dark eyes. "Of course, thank you very much," There is a slight happiness in his voice as he looked over the other and then at the ring. "You're not… exactly what I was expecting for the King of Demons. If you don't mind me saying, I thought you would be… bigger."

"You're not the first and certainly won't be the last to think that." Drake snorted, turning to the side to make his way back to his throne. "Many before you have said the same thing. But listen, Hell needs a ruler that is fair and righteous. If not, it will be nothing more than a chaotic mess, with everyone fighting over the smallest things." The King sat down on his throne and folded his legs, looking all important from Tsuna's standing. "I took this position a long time ago and I am perhaps the only reason why we demons aren't going out there and killing every human in sight. We are sophisticated, not animals despite what overly arrogant humans like to think, no offense. However, this can only be applied to the higher up. The lower level demons are exactly how you would imagine them."

"None taken. But I understand where you're coming from."

"I've lived a long time and I have used my power to take down those who don't obey, even a couple of the Kings and Queens themselves. I make and will keep the rules because they are there for a reason. Some do not like them and of course, that is bound to happen. Do you have anything against them?"

"Not at the moment. They don't interfere with whatever I plan on doing with my title." Tsuna nodded his head, remaining still.

"That's good to hear," Drake smirked and leaned his side onto the arm of his throne. "Now then, if you have any trouble in the future don't be afraid come to me or any of the other Kings and Queens. You may find this odd, but we do consider each other friends. In a place like Hell you need people you can trust or to simply lend a hand when you're in need of help. When you've lived as long as myself, you find that company is the best cure for a lot of things."

"I'll keep that in mind, thank you."

"Now go. I'm certain that the King of Time will like to see you after this, most likely to congratulate you on getting this far. He'll show you what will happen next."

Tsuna bowed immediately. "Thank you. I shall take my leave." He lifted himself and stared at the King of Demons for a few moments longer before turning around, making his way out through the large doors. His cape fluttered behind him as he maintained his stoic form, not wanting to falter until he knew he was hidden from prying eyes. His honey-colored orbs drifted down to the ring on his finger and he smiled, he had finally done it. His new wish had come true. Now he could stand on his own two feet with Tsunayoshi, the one person who had helped him throughout his entire life. Happiness was the only thing that flooded his whole body.

* * *

**_Present Time_ **

"T-Tsuna-sama!" Gokudera slammed the door open the moment he touched it, his eyes looking over the situation before him critically. He couldn't believe he had allowed someone to kidnap his beloved boss so easily and had rushed all the way back to the house to know what had happened. Takeshi had been quiet the entire time, easily keeping up with the other teen. However, the moment they reached the house and got inside, the scene before them had them startled. Byakuran, their so-called kidnapper, was sitting at the kitchen table with the rest of the family, Fong included, and was talking happily without a care in the world as if he had done no wrongs. Held back from trying to blow the other up by Takeshi, Gokudera managed to get bits and pieces of where Tsuna and Reborn were and rushed up the stairs with the rain guardian in tow.

There on the bed before them laid the two, Reborn completely unconscious as he lay against the brunet with his eyes closed. His tiny fingers were still attached to the brunet, never letting go, and it was clear he was having a dream of some sort. Tsuna, on the other hand, was pale, but awake. His eyes were half-lidded, clearly going in and out of consciousness, and managed to focus long enough to look at his two friends. He gave a reassuring smile and with one movement, he brought his other hand up to his lips, giving a 'shh' sound. The two guardians complied, sneaking over carefully so as not to wake the hitman. They were already familiar with the baby's punishment enough as it was, they didn't exactly need anymore.

"Tsuna-sama, are you okay?" Gokudera quickly stumbled out in a whisper, concern flashing across his face. "I called Shamal but he's in another town. He'll be here by morning. I'll make sure of it! And don't worry about him, he may be an asshole but he's good at his job. Though he doesn't like to treat men, I can force him to do so for you."

The brunet shook his head. "No, I'll be fine. I just need some rest."

"Tsuna…" Takeshi slipped closer to get a better look, his eyebrows narrowed. He had been silent the entire time and now that he was finally speaking, he garnered all the attention in the room. "Are you… hiding something from us?"

"You bastard! How dare you accuse Tsuna-sama of that!" Gokudera sneered angrily, still managing to keep his voice down.

Tsuna chuckled lightly and lifted up his free hand weakly, waving it at the two. "No, Takeshi is correct. I am indeed hiding something from everyone. Reborn knows about my secrets now, everything I've been hiding for so many years. I made a promise to him after all," His eyes drifted down to said hitman and smiled, leaning over so that his other hand could drift over the soft face. He toyed with the curls and hair, liking the touch it left on his fingers. Despite feeling weak, he still had enough strength to move and walk around, but he was storing that remaining energy for something else. When he decided he had enough with Reborn's prone body, he peered back at his two friends and guardians. "However, I have no plans on doing the same for you."

There was a harsh silence that followed, the two teenagers frozen in shock that their friend would say such a thing to them. Various thoughts ran through their minds, but not once did either of them voice it.

Tsuna continued, wanting to clear their minds, "Please do not take it as an offense or distrust on my part. It's just best if you don't know and it's not exactly something you need to know either. Only Reborn deserves to know everything after being with me for so long. Like I said, I did promise him a long time ago."

"Tsuna…" Takeshi shifted closer, leaning down so that he could get a better look at the brunet. There was no doubt that confusion was clouding his eyes, unsure on how to react to those words. It wasn't something he could truly understand all that well. "Are you sure… you won't tell us?"

"For now, there are some secrets that are best to be kept hidden. Just like you have some you don't want to share either. There is no doubt in my mind that one day I will tell you the truth, but today is not that time." Tsuna reached over and pulled Reborn closer to him, placing his chin on top of the baby's head. His hand was still attached to the sun Arcobaleno's, never separating even as he closed his eyes. "I'm sorry to ask this, but is it possible to leave me alone for a while? I'm really tired and would like to rest while I can."

There was no doubt his words would hurt them, he had expected it, but he really didn't want to spill his secrets, not yet anyway. There was some shuffling before Gokudera suddenly spoke up, "Tsuna-sama, you said that you'll tell us eventually, right?"

The brunet nodded in confirmation.

The silver-haired teen hummed gently, his eyes shut, before sighing. He turned towards the swordsman with strong determination flashing across his face. "Idiot, don't look like that." Takeshi jumped from being spoken to so suddenly, blinking his eyes in question. "Tsuna-sama said he'll tell us eventually."

"B-But-"

"Tsuna-sama isn't one to lie. Telling someone a secret isn't as easy as you think, idiot," Gokudera leaned forward as his voice grew louder, almost to the point of yelling. He had completely forgotten about Reborn in the background. "It takes time and courage to speak secrets aloud. He'll tell us when the time is right or when he's ready. You can't force such things so all we can do right now is wait."

Takeshi simply stood there in shock, his mind trying to process the words. He knew it made sense, all of it. Gokudera was right - it didn't take much to see it. Still, he didn't like being kept in the dark. He closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair, pushing his locks back and out of his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he held it and with the moment of release the hesitation was expelled from him. "Alright, you win, Hayato. We'll wait together, right?"

"I'd rather not wait with you, but yeah," When the silver-haired teen got a decent smile from the other, he glanced back towards his beloved boss. "We'll be going now, Tsuna-sama. You should recover as quickly as possible. In the meantime, I'll try to tell everyone to keep it down for your sake."

"That's…" Tsuna paused, biting his bottom lip. "That's very kind of you, Gokudera. Thank you," He watched as his guardians nodded their heads and slowly began to filter out of the door in silence. However, just before they closed the door, Tsuna called out, "Wait, Gokudera."

The storm guardian paused in question, spinning around. "Yes, Tsuna-sama?"

"Hayato," There was a momentary pause in his voice as Tsuna spoke, knowing he had gained the attention of his storm guardian. "I want to call you Hayato."

Smoking Bomb stared at his beloved boss in surprise before breaking out into a grin. "It'd be an honor!" With a quick bow, he was shuffling Takeshi behind, unable to hide his smile even as he closed the door behind. Tsuna shook his head at the reaction, having expected it, and leaned back to close his eyes. He knew the other deserved it, to be called by his first name.

Tsuna tightened his grasp on Reborn, not wanting to let go, and peered down to focus on the Arcobaleno. He knew Reborn was still shuffling through the vast amount of memories he was sending through their connection. However, as much as it was, he could only show him bits and pieces of everything. It was just enough to learn the truth of himself and his identity - of how everything began on his part and how it ended. Nothing after his rise to the 'Sorcerer King' position was necessary for the hitman to know and everything else in-between was best left skipped or to be spoken through his own lips. In the end, the one thing he could do was hope that Reborn accepted him for who he was.

"Tsunayoshi," The brunet lifted his head upward at his new visitor, watching as the albino stepped deeper into his bedroom with that usual creepy grin. He figured his two friends weren't able to stop the sneaky sky Mare ring holder from popping in. Byakuran glanced over the two on the bed curiously, showing interest at the way things were positioned before chuckling. "You've changed."

At those words, Tsuna just smirked. "Yes, I know, but so have you, Byakuran. You're no longer that cold-hearted man from before. Ever since your defeat by that world's Tsuna, you've become much warmer, bonding with people much easier than before. You're not as dark as I remember… but at the same time, you're not the Byakuran I bonded with either."

Byakuran didn't speak at first, wandering about the room curiously, and peered over every little thing as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. He flipped through random books and papers, reading a few words before placing it back down. When he finally came back to Tsuna's side, he spoke, "The Byakuran you know is dead. I simply have his memories and his emotions to look into," The albino kept a straight face, placing one hand against his hip. "However, despite them being from another Byakuran, they are still mine."

"That's good to hear," Leaning back against the head of the bed, Tsuna stared up towards the ceiling and was able to feel Reborn when he shifted in his sleep. The memory transfer was complete, now he just needed the hitman to adjust to the new information and have his brain store it so that they would become memories of his own. "In a way, we're starting over from a different angle, one I'd like to keep in place for a while. I've come to enjoy this world and the people in it so I'd appreciate it if you don't have any plans on taking over." His honey-colored eyes peered down at the hitman, giving a fond touch on the forehead as he pushed aside some bangs.

Byakuran just continued to remain in place, unmoving. "I don't have such plans. Though I should let you know I've already met the Yuni in this world and she's quite curious to see you. She has already forgotten about what happened in the past with you and instead has forgiven you for whatever misdeeds you've done. She isn't one to hold grudges or hatred. It's one of the reasons she's so accepting of me despite everything."

"That's something you really needed to set you straight onto a path. And because of her kindness, another version of you wanted to pay her back for all the trouble you've caused her by participating as an Arcobaleno representative. The exact same world where that Tsuna defeated you and changed everything," Tsuna chuckled in amusement, staring at the other all knowingly. His fingers were now stroking through Reborn's hair affectionately, never leaving the baby alone for a second. "Moving on, I doubt you're really here to just chat with me."

The albino just laughed, sliding a hip outwards to the right, and grinned. "True, true~" He placed his hands against his waist and turned to the side momentarily to get a better look out the window. "I was just curious what your plans for this world are. I really want to see what you'll be changing it to."

"Well, you'll just have to wait and see. It'll be no fun if I just told you. And anyway, didn't I tell you just now that I'm fond of this world?"

"You may say that, but you'll never know. However, I'll let you know a little detail I found out that might be useful. Mukuro Rokudo will be making his move very soon," Byakuran just chuckled and spun around, heading towards the bedroom door with a mischievous look in his eyes. The sun was already setting in the distance, hours having passed since his arrival. "Well, I'll leave you with your little lover, Tsunayoshi. I have a Shoichi Irie to visit and torment."

Tsuna just sighed, tempted to shoot something at the other out of mere annoyance, but held back. He didn't want to bother and simply watched as his old companion vanished behind the darkness of his bedroom door. He was left alone again with Reborn and he pulled the baby closer against his body, tightening his grasp. With another sigh, he continued to await Reborn's awakening, wondering how things would turn out.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by WhiteAngel128 and Ankou13
> 
> Edited : 10/18/15

It was night by the time Reborn began to stir from his deep slumber, shifting in the warm embrace he was so very familiar with. He knew Tsuna was holding onto him, almost wrapped around, and he immediately took an interest in his surroundings. Reborn knew his student was still awake, waiting for him, but he wondered about the rest of the world. Were they still up or fast asleep? Sensing through the house, he could feel everyone in their respective rooms. Not even Fong was in the area anymore, having disappeared from range along with Byakuran. It was a little odd - he had expected the storm Arcobaleno to sleep in the same room with him. As for the sky Mare ring holder, he would need Tsuna to tell him. 'Looks like I woke up quite late into the night.'

The hold on him shifted, pulling back slightly, enough so that Reborn could move his head up towards Tsuna's face. His black eyes opened up and stared straight into the honey-colored orbs curiously, observing the sick being. However, he didn't get far in his observations before he winced at a sudden spike of pounding in his head. The hitman groaned loudly, his tiny fingers reaching up to grasp his head, and rolled onto his back to stare at the ceiling.

"Headache?" Tsuna spoke softly, his cold fingers reaching up to touch Reborn's forehead, leaving a cooling effect. He almost chuckled when he saw the other leaning against it, enjoying the gentle sensation.

"Yeah, a really bad one."

"That's to be quite expected. I did just stuff a large amount of memories into your brain. It'll take a while before your mind finishes processing everything."

"About that…" Reborn pulled away from the grasp, moving so that he could sit up. He could see a shift on his fedora, which was on the nightstand. Leon blinked his large eyes curiously at his master before going back to sleep. There was no threat, nothing that would get the lizard up and moving. The hitman kept some distance from the other, eyeing Tsuna who was lying against the bed. There was no difference in the features of the one before him and the one in his memories when he had… Reborn shook his head - he didn't want to go there, not yet anyway. He had more important questions to deal with first. "How _old_ are you exactly? And I don't mean physically."

Tsuna stared back before moving his arm underneath the pillow. He was shifting into a more comfortable position and only spoke when finished. "I'm about fifty-thousand years old. If you want the exact number then I don't really know. I lost count after a while. It wasn't as if it was worth counting anyway." The brunet shifted again and got onto his elbows to view Reborn better. His expression was still pale like before, nothing having changed since the hitman had fallen asleep. The bed sheets pooled around Tsuna's back and for a moment, Reborn's mind flashed back to the future where he had seen this same exact position.

"So all the strangeness from before: you saying that you killed your family, your age, everything. It's all true." Reborn ignored the mutter of 'told you' from the brunet and continued, "You were the reason why your world was destroyed, the _sole_ reason, and you killed _me_ to get to that." Tsuna didn't say anything to that, knowing there was no point. It was the truth after all, he had killed Reborn, torn him apart with no hesitation. He had killed everyone the hitman had known, from those in Vongola to his fellow Arcobaleno members. Everyone had died. Tsuna glanced away, a flash of guilt passing through his eyes, and yet, he didn't regret a single thing. He didn't lament what he had done. Still, Reborn continued, observing the other, "And you did that just for the single reason of meeting another version of you."

"I am a selfish person, Reborn, everyone is." Peering back, the brunet held his stance, not budging from what he believed. "However, that was a long time ago. I don't have plans on doing such things anytime soon. There is no need to. Now I simply exist without much purpose in life because there is nothing to do. I took this body not only because it was requested but out of mere boredom."

"I know." Reborn sighed, rubbing his forehead as another headache came to him. He growled, frustrated with everything and the pain certainly wasn't helping. His eyes watched as Tsuna reached over once more, resting his cold fingers over his forehead and he enjoyed the coolness it brought. Regardless of the nice effect that helped his headache, it didn't stop his racing thoughts. He hadn't expected that his supposed-student would have such a complicated history - one that would need time for him to actually absorb. He wasn't able to see everything within Tsuna's memories and he doubted he ever would, but it was enough to understand what was happening.

Regardless, he was a little sore about being killed so easily and despite knowing that, he didn't feel uncomfortable. It was like nothing had changed. He had expected something to, expected himself to feel odd around Tsuna, but he just felt at peace. It was like his heart and body told him that no harm would occur to him despite his mind yelling something else. It was like he knew that everything was in the past and that was all it was. Reborn sighed heavily to himself. He knew he was thinking that the past couldn't be changed, that everything was different now compared to before, and he recognized that, especially after co-existing with the brunet for so long. It was also clear that Tsuna was trusting him with this private information… and it was only right to return that same trust.

"Alright, I get it," At his words, the tension in Tsuna's frame eased up, looking a little more relaxed compared to before. Reborn almost sighed, burying face further into the cold hand, and took a deep breath as he peered straight into those honey-colored orbs. His heart fluttered as he stared into them, knowing that Tsuna was waiting for him to continue, to know how he was going to respond. With all the trust and openness towards him, it would be rude not to reply. "There's no doubt that I'm still upset about this whole thing." Reborn noticed a flash of worry within those eyes and the hand dropped down towards his side. He would have snorted if things were different. "I'm confused here and there about some of your memories but I do understand you better. I understand who you are and how you came into being. Despite being upset that you killed me, I do understand why as well." Reborn gave a lengthy pause, wanting to watch the brunet squirm under the pressure but he just sat there calmly, waiting for the end. The hitman huffed, settled onto the bed with his legs folded before growling out a command, "That's all I really wanted to say. Now give me your damn hand, my head still hurts."

Tsuna just laughed gently at that, his voice soft, and raised his requested hand to touch the warm forehead. Reborn wiggled his nose in frustration and pushed the limb closer, releasing a content sigh as the pounding died down. They spoke lightly over the events of the memories, adding more on his thoughts and feelings of those past times while getting a clearer understanding on how things added up. He was a little surprised when certain things were touched on like Byakuran, the Tri-Ni-Set, and other things that were involved. It was a pleasant event despite the topics and for Reborn, it was like he was getting the cracks in Tsuna's mask to fall apart. He was getting underneath to where the truth was. Everything was working out the way it should, that was, until it reached two o'clock.

Suddenly, Tsuna shifted in the bed and lifted his head up to look at the time. His sickness had yet to vanish and he released a heavy sigh, breaking the conversation to sit up. He swung his feet over the side of the bed and stretched his back until he heard a crack before looking down at his lightly trembling hands. His breathing was ragged, but considerably better compared to before. He knew it was time. Just as he stood, the hitman snapped his head up to follow.

"Tsuna, where are you going?" Reborn instantly jumped up from his spot and followed the brunet, refusing to let the other out of his sight. This person - this being - was supposed to be _his_ student. However, it didn't feel like that anymore. Tsuna was older than him, more powerful, and he had even killed him once long ago in times past. Though, the thought of being violently killed and harvested for his heart still made him shiver, the Tsuna here before him was different. This Tsuna wasn't as bloodthirsty, as vengeful, and it was clear he had grown up from long ago. No, if anything the brunet was definitely on even playing field with Reborn and will forever remain so. Still, there was a possibility that Tsuna could rise higher than him and that thought caused a painful stab within the Arcobaleno's chest. He didn't want Tsuna to rise up - it would mean that the brunet or himself would have to leave and the hitman didn't want that. Regardless, there was no way he could consider Tsuna to be his student – it wasn't as if they had a student-teacher relationship in the first place. It never existed because it was never needed.

The brunet paused in his steps and turned around to face the other. He was still pale despite having rested and his breathing was ragged, but his expression remained calm. "I'm afraid this body is almost up," Reborn's eyes widened in fear, he was afraid of losing the person before him. "So to prevent that, I'm going to head off to see Veil and fix this before I disappear. Despite knowing that I would live without this body, it would also mean giving up this entire life. I would simply go back to my old body, but I don't want to leave this life just yet. I want to remain here a little longer before I make the switch because returning back would mean I would become who I once was." He took another step away before stopping once more. His eyes drifted down to the floor, then back at Reborn. "Would you like to come with me, Reborn? No, I _want_ you to come with me."

"You don't even need to ask. I'm coming with you no matter what," Jumping on a few items, he landed onto Tsuna's right shoulder and grasped onto the hair to keep him situated. "But how will we get there? This Veil person is in Hell, yes?"

"That's right, but I can open a direct portal to his realm. This will use up some of the last bit of strength I have left. If I was strong enough, I would simply teleport us to his home instead of outside or open a portal. However, after this, I'll vulnerable to any attack. Luckily, Veil doesn't exactly rule a part of Hell since he felt that it would get in the way of his work so there's no one there except for him. As you probably already know, he works on human bodies to create his puppets and toys so don't be surprised when you see something you're not quite comfortable with," Tsuna outstretched his hand, muttering a few odd words that Reborn couldn't catch, and concentrated on something before him. A small purple sphere appeared before them and then began to grow larger until it was as tall as Tsuna. Inside the now-oval swirled with just emptiness but the color purple, nothing inside until the brunet snapped his fingers. Immediately, everything shifted and the purple pulled back, revealing only darkness within. "We won't be able to see much on this side, his domain is mainly in obscurity, nothing else until we enter his place. Since I'll have to walk to his home, are there any questions you want me to answer along the way?"

Reborn hummed to himself, thinking back on the previous memories since his arrival into this household. There was one thing that stood out and made him curious. "What about Yamamoto Takeshi? I remember you saying that that you owed him something."

Tsuna paused, glancing back at the Arcobaleno. "Ah, that one. That was a long time ago. As you can already tell, I can travel to different dimensions and worlds since everything is connected to Hell in one way or another. In another world, I had met another Takeshi and I guess, in a sense, he saved me when I was kinda down. I would have lived regardless, but it was the thought of him trying to save me despite the fact that he didn't know me at all. It made me a little happy." He stepped into the portal, letting the darkness engulf them whole.

* * *

_Tsuna peered over the river below, looking at it curiously as the blue water rushed by. It was uninteresting, just the same and yet it held his attention compared to most things in the world. It was wonderful, amazing, and yet… boring just like everything else. He sneered, turning away from it, and made his way over the bridge to the other side. Years have continued to pass and yet nothing kept his attention for long. Only the ones back in Hell could. He passed by the river, moving into the crowd of people, and seamlessly blended into the colors. He was dressed in his usual white and black outfit, just missing the cape and shoulder piece. Though he looked overdressed compared to everyone else, no one spared him a glance. It was Tokyo - hundreds of thousands of people were on the streets milling about with or without an aim and with that vast amount of people, not one person stood out. It was the perfect place for him to wander about without getting recognized._

_He had heard that the Tsuna in this world had become Vongola Decimo and was gaining some popularity in the underworld. The brunet almost smirked in amusement. It seemed that due to not having a sibling in this world, there was no one to get in this world's Tsuna's way of gaining the position. 'How interesting.' However, he knew better. In a few years, this world would be destroyed by none other than Byakuran's hand. The sky Mare ring holder was still in his phase where he wanted to take over the entire world and gain enormous power in any way possible. Certain parts had already fallen under his control and despite knowing exactly how the path would lead to destruction, Tsuna would only watch._

_As he went in a back alley to get out of the crowd he made his way past various people, most in their teens and twenties. He could tell they were simply letting loose in the worst way. Drugs, alcohol, sex, those were all there and it reeked. Tsuna wiggled his nose and continued on through, not bothering to spare a glance towards anyone. A prostitute came waddling by in her high heels and immediately attached herself to his right._

" _Hello, handsome." She flirted, curling her hair around her fingers in an attempt to seduce. Compared to most of the other individuals in the alleyway, Tsuna was obviously overdressed and in a way spoke that he had money. "Are you lonely? I'm sure I can fill that space for the night."_

_Tsuna didn't even bat an eyelash and instantly flung his arm back, sending the woman flying. She crashed into the brick wall behind with a loud snap and flopped down, broken. There was no doubt he had broken her spinal cord, but he didn't care, no one else did except the other prostitutes. He simply went on and vanished into another street, never to be seen again._

_About thirty minutes later, he ended up in an alley where he saw multiple people eyeing him. It was one of the darker areas where drug deals generally occurred, along with murders and slave trading. He didn't bother, unable to feel any dread. It wasn't as if anyone could kill or harm him after all. There was nothing to fear. As he got about halfway, some of the men who were eyeing him began to move, making their way to surround him. He didn't bother and moved on but eventually they began to trap him in a circle, grinning menacingly with the intent to kill._

_Tsuna sighed and opened his mouth to speak when a loud snap resounded in the air. He blinked, surprised by it and turned around to see a new figure that wasn't there before. The alley was dark, but within moments he recognized who it was immediately, it wasn't hard to._

' _He's Yamamoto Takeshi, right?' Tsuna stared at the swordsman in question, remembering he had killed the younger version long ago. This was the first time he had really actually seen an older version of the swordsman. This Takeshi was about twenty now and was dressed in typical mafia clothes with his sword strapped behind him._

" _Now, now, guys, there's no need to gang up on someone." Takeshi gave his usual laugh despite having just taken down someone and rubbed the back of his head. He had a little scar under his chin, but it was almost unnoticeable in the dark. Tsuna kept himself hidden, preventing the other from recognizing him, considering that he looked exactly like Sawada Tsunayoshi here in this world. The swordsman stepped forward into the center before suddenly reaching for Tsuna's right hand, quickly dashing off into the alleys. There were a few startled yells from behind but they had the advantage of distance and Takeshi was quickly making his way through the place. Tsuna just followed along like a doll before quickly creating a jacket over his body and pulled the hoodie over his head to help cover his identity._

" _Excuse me…" Tsuna softly spoke, catching the other's attention. Regardless, they didn't stop running._

" _Yeah?" Takeshi called out, still running through the streets._

" _Why did you do that? I was fine."_

_At those words, the swordsman began to slow down to a stop. "Really? It didn't look like it to me." He gave a wide grin, patting Tsuna on the shoulder and when he didn't get an answer, he continued, "Well, maybe I just helped because I wanted to."_

_Tsuna tilted his head at that curiously and sighed, turning away._

" _That and you gave off an aura that you were down and lonely," Takeshi just grinned along, not minding the fact that he couldn't see the face of the person he had helped. "It's probably true that you didn't need help but I think you needed help with something else."_

" _I… see," Tsuna bit down on his bottom lip. It was true. He had been feeling a bit lonely. Everyone he knew in Hell had been so busy for the past five years and there was no one else to communicate with without actually disturbing them. "I guess you're right."_

_At those words, the black-haired male just grinned. "Well, since I just finished up with a job, how about we go out and get some drinks? Maybe eat some sushi?"_

_Looking up from underneath his hoodie, a small hint of a smile appeared on his lips. "That… actually sounds nice. Thank you." He would have to continue hiding his face under the hoodie but it didn't matter, it didn't seem like Takeshi cared either._

" _Great! I'm Yamamoto Takeshi by the way. Just call me Yamamoto, no honorifics please." The swordsman walked off, dragging the smaller male behind him with a smile. It was like he didn't care that the person behind him was purposely hiding his face or anything. "What about you?"_

_There was a pause as Tsuna thought of a name he could use. He obviously couldn't use his own and pondered through his mind before one stood out. It was the old name he was once called by the newspapers. "Sinister. People used to call me that long ago but not anymore."_

_"Why's that?"_

" _Because they're all dead."_

" _Oh…" Takeshi bit down on his bottom lip. The conversation was quickly turning into a buzz kill and he immediately thought up of a way to brighten it up. "Alright then, I'll call you 'Sin', short for Sinister and guess what? I won't die on you. I'm really strong, you know?"_

" _That's good to hear. Now, are you going to lead me or what?"_

_There was laughter. "Sorry, sorry, this way."_

* * *

The moment they stepped out of the portal to the other side, Reborn could only blink curiously as he surveyed the area. Darkness, that was all he could see and yet he could hear chains rattling distantly in the background. There were screams, cries, wails, things that would come out a horror movies and it made him shiver. He had seen what this Veil looked like through Tsuna's memories along with some unmentionables of what the demon had done to those human bodies. It honestly scared him, having to meet such a dangerous person. He didn't show it, he refused to reveal any weakness to anyone, but meeting a real, live demon was different, especially when this demon was known for his killing techniques.

Tsuna moved through the darkness without much thought, it was like he could see just fine despite it being pitch black. He made sure to hold onto Reborn, not wanting to get separated from the other here of all places. His footsteps were almost silent, gently tapping against something hard, until it suddenly splashed. Reborn perked up at the sound, his head snapping down to see if he could figure out what was going on, but couldn't see anything Tsuna had hit. It was like they were moving through water, but he expected better, this was Hell after all. He could smell a familiar scent suffocating the air that he'd always worked with but he couldn't put his finger on it. Despite thinking that, he quickly deduced that, from the sounds of the water, it was about halfway up between the ankle and knee.

"Tsuna… what are you moving through?" The hitman almost didn't want to ask that question but he felt it was for the best. He'd rather know than not, to take it off his mind.

The brunet didn't answer for a few moments, shifting his legs through the thick liquids below, continuing to splash through the mess. Unlike the other, he didn't seem all that concerned. "You don't really want to know."

Reborn wiggled his nose. "I wouldn't be asking if I didn't."

Tsuna paused again, going silent as he continued on. His legs bumped into something but it went ignored, it was like he was going through an endless puddle. "Well, I guess I can create a small amount of light for you but you're not going to like the sight." The hitman gave the shoulder he was settled on a tight squeeze, letting the other know what he really wanted. "I see, alright then." Reborn could hear the movement of fabric, identifying it as Tsuna's other arm rising up, and watched as a sphere of light suddenly appeared in the darkness. His eyes blinked rapidly and he shaded them as they tried to adjust to the sudden brightness. They burned for a little bit before he grew used to the light and watched as the sphere began to grow brighter, slowly expanding to reveal Tsuna to the hitman's eyes. Reborn peered over the pale features, knowing that the brunet was really beginning to reach his limit, and quickly looked around the surrounding area. Nothing - just more darkness. That was until he looked down…

"Is that…" Reborn's eyes widened at the sight, resisting every motion to vomit violently. There, what he had thought was water was actually… blood. Just blood - that was it. Thick and red and Tsuna's feet were deep within that mess. There was red foam on top, swishing along from Tsuna's movement. His eyes could make out the liquid being absorbed into the brunet's pants, creeping up and dying everything it touched the same color. However, that wasn't the worst of it; there was more than just blood within the pool. Skulls, femurs, fingers, they were floating around like twigs in a river. Those were things Tsuna had kept bumping into and some of the bones still had flesh attached to them, rotting away. He questioned for a moment why he hadn't smelled it before, but he guessed that the overwhelming stench of blood – of copper - trumped it. For a moment, he thought he saw a torn eyeball float by.

Immediately, the light went out, everything disappearing into darkness – something he was very grateful for. Tsuna continued to walk, reaching up to grasp Reborn's tiny fingers. It was like he was making sure that Reborn didn't fall down, not that the hitman wanted to. "Told you."

"What… how…" Reborn didn't know where to start, his lips sealed shut in an effort to prevent himself from vomiting up whatever was left in his stomach. "Why…"

"Normally, I wouldn't have to go through this area to get to Veil's place but since I'm trying to save as much energy as possible, this is the only way. Anyway, this place is known as the 'Blood Lands' and is where Veil discards his human corpses that are considered useless along with the excessive amounts of blood he collects. It's where everything gets thrown. Veil has been alive for a lot longer than I have and this is his collection of material that has been building up over that time. Some demons actually take baths here for fun, but not often since this is sealed away from most demons. Only those that are really strong can get through his barriers."

"Baths…" Reborn felt sick at learning that. He would have shifted his fedora lower over his eyes, but he could hardly tell where he was touching. That and he didn't have his signature hat with him, it was left back at the Sawada household with Leon.

"Yes, but I don't sense any here today," Tsuna continued to move without much thought. It was like he didn't care about the fact that he was walking through blood. "Ah, we're here." Reborn blinked, but didn't see anything as usual until he heard the swishing sound of the brunet's legs moving through the water disappearing. He felt them moving upwards, onto dry land, and could then sense Tsuna reaching up to grasp something. There was a click and a following creak. Light slipped through a crack immediately, a crack Reborn could identify with as a door. As a low light began to settle around, the door opened up further and he blinked as he peered inside, wondering what exactly they would be stepping through this time. Conversely, what he saw made him wish that he was back in the darkness. At least there he couldn't see anything.

Bodies. Bodies among bodies were all lined up neatly and many were hanging from the ceiling with a rope around their neck or arms. It was clear they were all dead, that lifelessness in their eyes all too clear to Reborn. He had seen many dead bodies in his lifetime, but this was unbelievable. There were so many different types of humans here: different colors, races, shapes, and sizes. It was like this was a collection of some sort.

"Dolls…" Tsuna muttered under his breath, catching Reborn's attention. "Veil considers these human corpses as his precious dolls and it's the reason why he's called the King of Lust. Outside Hell, he's known as 'the Demonic Puppeteer' since he can control their bodies – dead or alive. He's also what you would consider a doctor but doesn't exactly do things that would be normal and likes to experiment on his dolls. He enjoys taking their bodies apart - organs included - and switching them around with other bodies. He does this to create new dolls to his specifics in a way."

The brunet closed the door behind them and began to make his way through the rows of bodies, not minding them at all . Reborn, however, did and shift closer against the brunet, feeling safer the nearer he was.

"He kills his victims and stores them here if they are useful. How long some of them have been here, I'm not sure. Many are older than me and his collection keeps growing every day. Be careful though, some move on his control since they're meant to keep an eye out for intruders. Since they are his, he has the ability to move the dolls by mind and can also rework a living being's brain to do his bidding," The hitman glanced towards him curiously at those words. Tsuna shook his head as he continued down the pathway and went straight to a three-way junction, turning to the right. He already knew his way around the place - he just needed to head to the center where the demon was located. "It's the reason he's called the puppeteer, he's extremely dangerous to humans since he can place an idea into their brains and make them think it's theirs. He did an experiment a long time ago on a town by taking away the limiters on their brains that prevented them from harming themselves and told them to go kill themselves creatively. Within hours, the entire town had committed suicide through various methods and he showed the results to me afterwards. Apparently one decided that it would be a great idea to let a lawnmower go over his head."

Reborn shivered, he hadn't thought that demons were that dangerous. He thought they just had stronger bodies and more powers, nothing as dangerous as _that_. "Then why doesn't that happen more often? Why aren't the humans extinct yet? With abilities like those, we should all be dead."

Tsuna almost wanted to chuckle, making another turn when they came up to an intersection. "That's because most demons don't have that ability and Veil spends most of his time within his realm. Humans are safe from extinction," He glanced towards the hitman and reached up, placing a comforting hand against Reborn's head. There was no fedora, no Leon, just the spiky hair that Tsuna's hand could run through. "If you don't mind, I would like to move away from Veil. I'm certain there are other questions you want me to answer."

Reborn was grateful for the turn of conversation, no longer wanting to speak about the demon any longer. His headache had vanished some time ago in the Blood Lands, allowing his mind to think freely. Still, there was one memory from Tsuna had stood out enough. "Nana…"

Immediately, the brunet froze at the name, going still. Just before him was another door, the door to the center of this realm and once he went past it, Veil would be waiting on the other side. He was certain the demon was already aware of his presence. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath.

Reborn could sense the tension within Tsuna's body, the shoulders squeezing together. "Was she always like that to you?"

"Yeah, always. I…" Tsuna released his breath, trying to remove the tension from his body. "I disillusioned myself later into thinking that Nana wasn't like that, that she was the one that we both have now. I wanted to believe that because if I didn't then I would continue my rage towards each and every person. Still, now that it's been thousands of years since that time, it doesn't matter any longer. I've met many Nana's in the past, each one different, and soon the one I remembered was forgotten." The brunet began walking once more, the door before him getting closer. He tilted his head towards Reborn, feeling those tiny fingers run through his hair comfortingly. A small smile broke onto his lips and he wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and lean towards the touches.

Just as they were about two feet away from the door, it suddenly opened up revealing a figure behind. Their heads snapped up instantly, staring at the being before them, and Tsuna nodded his head as a greeting soon after. Reborn's eyes widened in surprise, taking in the tall figure that stood over the two of them and then to the sharp scissors-like claws that glittered in the dim light. The blades were dripping with fresh blood, threads almost unnoticeable to the eyes wrapped around the edges, and the hitman's eyes continued to rise up to the stitched skin. It was really like the demon had been sutured together with threads and the tattered black clothes only covered so much. Those long strands of black hair draped over his pale face with those midnight blue eyes boring into his soul. Dangerous, that was the single thought that flew through Reborn's mind. He could recognize a killer when he looked at one. Veil's shadow stretched across the ground and Reborn could see the shattered bodies and organs in the background.

"So you've come," Veil spoke, tilting his head to the side, before stepping back. "That human body of yours is done for. You'll need a replacement for the broken parts inside that your power has eaten away." However, those dark eyes snapped towards the baby on Tsuna's shoulder, narrowing them slightly. "And who is that?"

"Reborn. I wanted him to come with me," Tsuna slipped into the room, the very same room he had helped Veil with his torments and recreation. Immediately, the demon shifted around the room, gathering items that would be needed for later. Most were the organs - the tools already on hand, literally. The brunet suddenly reached up to gently lift Reborn off his shoulder, placing the baby onto the operating table. "I'm going to need you to stay here, Reborn."

"What?"

"Veil will repair this body since he has more than enough bodies at his disposal. However, I do not wish for you to follow me there when he opens me up."

Reborn ground his teeth together and growled. "You're not going anywhere without me! And how would that even work? Your body can reject the transplant!"

"I…" Tsuna trailed off at that, looking a little guilty about the first part. Veil didn't say anything, glancing over momentarily before going back to work, grabbing his organs with his bare hands. The brunet took a deep breath before speaking, "I don't want you to see my insides. I don't want you to see me in that position. And my body won't, Veil has a special ability that transforms any organ or body part to fit the same blood type as the receiver. There's no such thing as rejection for him, which is why he's the only one who can do something like this. And…" Biting down on his bottom lip, those honey-colored eyes glanced towards the open door, looking down the pathway. "And there's someone coming here that I want you to meet."

Reborn raised an eyebrow at that. "Someone?"

"You'll know who I'm talking about the moment you see him."

Veil stepped forward, interrupting the conversation. His imposing figure peered down at the baby and then towards Tsuna and nodded his head. "I'm ready. We'll head to the other room to do the operation. As you may already know, this will repair the damage you've done to your body throughout the course of the years. However, this is only a temporary fix." The two before the demon turned to stare, listening to every word carefully. "I predict that body with the replacement organs will only last for three to four more years, no more than that, but that's only if you don't use your powers excessively. Your powers are too great for a mere human body to contain and it destroys it in return. However, we both know that restraining yourself will be difficult considering your situation, so tread lightly after this." Veil paused for a moment to let that information sink in before continuing. "If what I remember is correct, you'll only be staying with that bunch until that body turns eighteen, right? You won't make it at this rate. I'd give another year or two left before it falls apart again."

The hitman's eyes widened in surprise and he turned to the brunet, but was unable to speak a single word. Tsuna just nodded his head in confirmation and reached over to the Arcobaleno, cupping a chubby cheek.

"Sorry."

With that, the two vanished into the back room, leaving Reborn alone on the operating table. The room smelled fresh of blood but the hitman ignored it as he repeated those words within his mind. He was so deep in thought that he hadn't realized a shadow walking down the hallway and stopping just behind the baby. The figure leaned over and chuckled, instantly catching Reborn's attention.

"What this? An Arcobaleno?"


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by WhiteAngel128 and Ankou13
> 
> Edited : 10/18/15

Reborn stared up at the being before him in wonder and surprise. He hadn't heard the other sneaking up behind him much less the other's breathing. His dark eyes trailed over the entire figure, going from the legs upward since everything about the male before him was odd. The person was wearing knee-high boots and socks, revealing off the thinness of his legs in the most perfect way. The smooth white porcelain skin peeked out from atop the socks and underneath the shorts that rode up high against the male's thigh. A demonic tail swished from behind, alerting the hitman that the person before him wasn't human, and he continued to look upwards. The black jacket with an orange band around the bottom was familiar and when he reached that face, flashes of memories went through his mind.

That brown hair, those eyes, those wings, he knew them all. They were from Tsuna's memories that had been transferred into his brain. The demonic Tsunayoshi who had started everything was standing before him with a smirk on his lips, looking quite young despite being older than both Tsuna and himself. The hitman had never thought that he would ever see this being in person.

"So," Tsunayoshi spoke with a hint of haughtiness in his silky voice, clearly seductive like the incubus he is. He stepped forward, his hips slightly swaying side to side as his long tail swirled behind. "What's the sun Arcobaleno, Reborn, doing here of all places?" Kneeling down, his large wings folded up behind his back and he leaned forward to get a closer look at the baby. The hitman could smell a strong – _delicious_ – scent off the other, one that began to overwhelm his senses. "I got word from Veil that Tsuna was here and just had to come visit. I haven't seen him for around a hundred years."

"I'm with Tsuna." Reborn finally spoke, getting his body under control to jump away from the other, putting some distance between the two of them. He resisted the charms Tsunayoshi was giving off. He wouldn't fall for them, he refused to. With such close proximity, he could make out the tiniest details of the face which helped to differ him from Tsuna, though it was still difficult.

The demon didn't seem surprised and just shrugged his shoulders. "I see, so you're with him. Well then, I guess I can get you to hold onto something for me." The baby stared at the other suspiciously, not trusting a word he said. Though this demon was close to the Sorcerer King, it didn't mean the same to him. Tsunayoshi just smiled, not bothered by the distrust in those large eyes and reached behind his back to pull out a single ring, a ring that Reborn recognized. It was the ring he had seen on future Tsuna's finger and in the other memories, the ring that had been given by the King of Demons; Drake. Tsunayoshi smirked when he spotted the flash of recognition within those black orbs. "I see you know what this is. Good. That means you can give it to him yourself."

"Why don't you do it? I'm sure Tsuna would like to see you." Reborn stepped further away, denying the ring. He had no doubt in his mind that the younger brunet would want to see the one before him, the relationship between the two made it clear. He wouldn't allow the demon to leave, not yet anyway.

"That's true, but I want _you_ to take it. I'm sure Tsuna would rather get it from you than me and don't worry, I won't be leaving just yet." The demon chuckled and pushed the ring closer, forcing the hitman to take it. "Well, they should be done soon. Veil is pretty quick at these things."

Reborn held onto the ring, eagerly waiting for the results from behind the door. He wanted to see Tsuna soon and see how he was doing compared to before. He hoped for the best, he needed Tsuna to be alive after all they've been through. He was attached - he cared deeply for his not-student more so than anyone else. Even his affection for Vongola Nono was nothing compared to this. Tsunayoshi glanced over curiously while tilting his head back towards the ceiling and chuckled. Reaching over with his right hand, he gently placed it over Reborn's head and rubbed in a comforting manner into the soft black hair. It was his own little way of saying that everything would be alright. Reborn tilted his head, feeling the familiar-like fingers running through his hair, the same hand that belong to the teenager he was used to. As he peered up, the hitman glanced over Tsunayoshi's features once more, finding it odd at how different they were despite being the exact same person, before speaking, "I have a question. Well, actually two."

"Hmm?" Tsunayoshi tilted his head forward and hopped up onto the operation table, swinging his legs gently back and forth like what a child would do. His tail flickered behind him before lying against the metallic table, knowing very well that the hitman was staring at the snake-like appendage curiously.

There was a passing thought of touching it but he resisted, speaking his questions aloud instead. "Why can't Tsuna stay longer than one to two years? Why can't he continue living in that body?"

"Ah, _that_ ," Tsunayoshi sighed as he closed his eyes, wiggling his nose as he thought about his answer. The demon reopened them to stare ahead at the closed door. "I guess they left it to me to explain. Well, it's like this: Tsuna's massive amount of power can't be contained in that human body forever. It starts to corrode and rot it and the constant use of magic heightens the pace - him collapsing was when it finally reached the limit. The body begins to shut down simply because it can no longer hold it. Veil can repair it and the organs that got affected but it'll only be temporary. And even if he continues to restore it after each failure, the same process will continue – quicker each time since the body has already been exposed. Before long, Tsuna will destroy that body and return to his original one, the one I'm currently protecting in my realm."

The demon paused for a moment, letting the words settle in. He allowed time for the human to absorb it - this information wasn't exactly easy to comprehend, especially when it was about someone's future demise. It didn't take much to find out just how close Tsuna and this Reborn were together. He smirked at the sight in amusement.

"Once he returns back to his original body, it's just… harder to be around those who aren't like him. Everyone is human, they're mortals who can die from something as simple as a gunshot wound. He cannot die, he cannot age, and he will have to reassume his duties back here in his domain. He will have to watch as everyone he has grown close to in the mortal realm fade away and disappear. Not only that, he'll be allowed to access the full amount of his abilities which could easily make him look like a monster and stand out far too much among human eyes. Humans have never been the most accepting of beings that are different. For many of us immortals, it's just easier to go back home here in Hell and remain with everyone else that's just like us."

Reborn didn't speak for a few moments, simply taking in the information. He knew how that felt, being isolated, being left behind, all of it. Of course Tsuna's situation was more extreme, but he knew how it felt to an extent. There would be no doubt he would become different from everyone else if he hadn't already. The reason as to why Tsuna kept denying the Vongola Decimo position was getting clearer. "Does he… have to leave? He can still remain with us even if that body declines and he has to return to his original."

The demon took in the curious look, spotting a slight bit of desperation within those eyes. It was obvious to the demon that Reborn cared for the Sorcerer King. "That's up to him. He will choose for himself in the future. However, you have some time on your hands. Take advantage of it. It might be short to people like us, but for you, it'll be plenty."

The hitman almost wanted to glare at the older brunet but he resisted, knowing it wouldn't really help his situation. Instead, he went to his last question, one he wanted to understand just a little more. The conversation between Tsuna and Byakuran had thrown him off slightly about the different dimensions and worlds. This was a perfect time as any to get some clarification and he had a strong feeling that this Tsuna knew more about the whole thing. "About different worlds, how exactly does that work? Are the times that different?"

"Oh, that one is _complicated_." The demon rubbed underneath his chin as he thought deeply, thinking over everything. His long tail shifted slightly, sliding down to wrap around the edge of the operation table. It was like neither of the two cared what had happened on this table much less the copious amounts of blood that covered the floor. "Well, the best way to explain it is that every world out there runs at a different time. For example: Let's say you've been here in Hell for one day. However, in another world that isn't yours, a year has passed. In some cases, a hundred years. Very rarely, a thousand years. There are even those where it's actually less and only a minute has passed in their world. However, Hell is a little special because it moves both back and forth in time in order to preserve itself. The occupants of Hell, however, continue to move forward because our bodies naturally resist these changes. Not that there was many anyway, most things remain the same as we don't really age. How do you expect buildings to maintain themselves after millions of years?" The demon shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, reaching up to touch his horns. "Anyway, because of that, we can intercept any world out there at any time. Of course, if we change something, an alternative or parallel world is created to keep the balance. The possibilities are literally endless on where we can go. This doesn't include the worlds where its completely different, like comparing a fantasy world and a more futuristic one."

Reborn snapped his head up when he heard a small crash, not from behind the door where Tsuna was, but from the back of him. He glanced towards the still open door and spotted that one of the bodies had fallen from where it was hanging. His eyes peered over the lifeless body, wondering if it should be left there. Tsunayoshi said nothing about it, peering back as well. However, a few moments later, the arms of the body began to move. The body was springing to life like it was alive, but its movements were that of a doll being pulled along and it began to heave itself back up into its original position. The body wrapped a rope around its neck and positioned itself to jump off the edge of the wall. Just before it hung itself, Tsunayoshi made a swipe with his hand midair and the door slammed shut, preventing anymore sights.

The demon snapped his tail over to draw Reborn's attention back to him, sliding the appendage against the chubby cheek, and spoke to continue the conversation. As he did so, he wrapped his tail around the tiny wrist of the hitman, pulling the baby closer much to Reborn's dislike. "The best way to note is Tsuna's appearance in your world. If the original Tsuna hadn't gotten sick with cancer, he would have never died and called for the 'Sorcerer King' Tsuna to take his place. From there, his meeting with you would have been completely different. Of course, _if_ he was still alive by the time he met you. There's also a chance that perhaps 'Sorcerer King' Tsuna never showed up, leaving no Tsuna in your world because the original perished from his cancer," The demon lightly hummed to himself, pouting a little when Reborn yanked his tail away. "Understand now?"

"In a way…"

"If you have any more questions, ask Tsuna, though I will most likely be the best at that information since I deal with time itself." The demon chuckled and stood up just as the doors opened, the younger brunet and Veil stepping out from behind. Reborn immediately jumped from his position, examining Tsuna's form and saw that the once pale complexion was back to a normal peach shade. The breathing was even and there were no signs of exhaustion. Everything was back to normal. However, Reborn refused to notice the obvious red liquid that was dripping from those blades on Veil's fingers, knowing very well that it belonged to Tsuna. Conversely, he didn't see any markings on the brunet, no signs of what had happened, and sighed in relief. He didn't want to see such things. Tsunayoshi smirked, "Welcome back."

Tsuna gave a nod towards the demon before turning towards Reborn, stepping closer. "Reborn."

"Tsuna," The hitman muttered. "Are you… alright? Did it work?"

The brunet suddenly smiled and nodded his head. "Yeah, I feel great. This body is back to normal for the time being," His honey-colored eyes glanced towards the other version of him and sighed heavily, though there was fondness mixed into it. "It's good to see you again. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Likewise. However, I am glad to see that you're doing well. I've been missing your presence. It gets lonely without you around," The smugness on Tsunayoshi's expression seemed to die down, holding affection as he spoke to the other. It was clear that, just like in the memories Reborn had experienced, the demon cared for the little brunet. "Well, enough about us, Reborn has something for you."

"Something?" A flash of curiosity passed those large eyes as Tsuna turned his attention towards the other. "You have something for me?"

Reborn huffed, it was obviously a setup to put the attention on himself and distract the immortal. He outstretched his tiny hand with the ring and grumbled, "I believe this is yours, yes?"

"Ah, my ring…" Tsuna slowly took it, holding it up towards the light before putting it onto his middle finger. It fit awkwardly as the fingers were smaller in size and slid slightly when he moved. Soon after, he clenched his fingers into a fist, getting used to the feeling of wearing jewelry once more and to keep the oversized ring from falling off.

"That should help with your power usage," Tsunayoshi spoke up, pushing himself off the table, and whipped his tail around to wrap it around his right leg. "If you use this with your powers, it'll help tone down the damage you do on your body while increasing your range of abilities. I bet you'd like to use your more powerful spells in fights than those flimsy ones. However, of course, it's not going to prevent the destruction of your body."

Tsuna nodded his head towards the information and stared down at the familiar ring. It felt wonderful to have it back on his finger, the one place where it belonged. He hadn't meant to leave it behind when he switched bodies, but he was glad that the demon was still keeping an eye out for him even after all these years. "Thank you. I believe I'll be putting it to good use in the future."

Reborn peered down at the ring, glad to see it back on Tsuna's finger. He didn't understand why but he was pleased to see such a sight. As he watched the interactions between the two Tsuna's, he chuckled. The younger was brighter around the older being, it was too obvious. A spark of jealousy flashed through his heart, but he pushed it down, knowing he couldn't allow such a thing to control him. His eyes traveled over to Veil, who had been forgotten and ignored during the entire conversation. The hitman shifted over to get a better look, watching as the King of Lust cleaned off his blade-like fingers under a faucet. Regardless of how dark the room looked and how he had expected it to be, everything was pristine and clean with no speck of mold or dust in sight. It wasn't like those rooms in the horror movies. He picked up the conversation between the two beings beside him, listening as they spoke about what happened between himself and Tsunayoshi. Smirking, his eyes went back to Veil, only to find the demon standing before him.

Reborn held back every fiber in his body from jumping in shock, not expecting the other to do something like that. The demon was creepy, the worst of the worst, but he didn't give off a personality like what he expected from a demon either. The hitman had thought that demons were vicious and loud, not quiet and reclusive.

"You have an interesting body there…" Veil whispered, his dark eyes peering through the long strands of hair. Reborn shivered, knowing his cursed form had caught the interest of the other who specialized in kidnapping bodies for dolls. The demon's stitched form was clear to the hitman's eyes, enabling him to pick out each and every string that was sutured through the skin. "But I won't do anything. You belong to the Sorcerer King, a good friend of mine. I would be a fool to take something that belongs to him."

Reborn wanted to comment against that accusation, but kept his lips tight, not wanting to say something that could get himself in trouble. He turned his attention back to the two twin-like males and stepped closer, hopping up onto Tsuna's right shoulder. The brunet blinked, startled out of his conversation and then smiled. He peered down at Reborn's watch to see the time before deciding that too much time had passed.

"I guess we should get going," Tsuna commented, nodding towards the two demons in gratitude for what they had done before peering back at the baby. "It's almost five in the morning back in the other realm." Reaching up, he placed a comforting hand over Reborn's and squeezed. "It's a good thing I won't need to head to school tomorrow."

The hitman almost wanted to grumble at that last bit, hating having his not-student skip school, but resisted, knowing very well that the both of them would be sleeping in tomorrow. Well, actually this morning, considering the time. Still, with Tsuna back to normal, he relaxed into the grasp. That was really all that mattered now, Tsuna being healthy and _not_ dying. That was all that mattered. Of course he didn't want the brunet to be leaving him anytime soon, not now, not ever, and this was one step towards that ideal. Reborn shifted over to lean against the brunet, burying his face into the soft hair and glanced over towards Tsunayoshi. The demon stared at him curiously before giving a smirk.

"Perhaps we'll be seeing each other another time." It wasn't a question but a statement. Reborn just knew they were going to meet each other sometime down the road simply because of his connection with the brunet beside him. His grip on the teen grew stronger. It was like he wanted to show that Tsuna was his. The brown-haired demon just smirked again and tilted his head to the side.

Without saying another word, Tsuna turned around to leave, heading out the same door they had entered through. Though Reborn wasn't keen on seeing the bodies again, especially after what happened earlier with the strangler, he just knew that everything was finally over. The door shut behind them with a loud slam, leaving the two demons within the operation room. However, about halfway down the hallway, Tsuna stopped causing Reborn to pull back from his comfy spot.

"Since I have my strength back, I'll open a portal here to head back directly." Snapping his fingers, the same portal that had appeared last time tore open before the two. The insides swirled constantly and Tsuna peered up at the hitman with a sharp nod of his head. "We're heading back. You don't… regret coming with me, do you?"

Reborn blinked, his rich black eyes turning towards the brunet as he bent over to get a better visual of the face. He shook his head. "No, absolutely not. I'm glad to have come with you and I'm glad that you trust me enough to reveal all of this."

Tsuna smiled. "I'm glad, too," As he made his way towards the portal, about to step in, he made one last remark, "Ah, that's right. You should probably know this about Hecate, the Queen of Witches. She's a lesbian and hates men, but male children are okay."

"Wait, what?"

* * *

Morning had come faster than the two thought, the annoyingly bright sun peeking in through the window. Reborn had grumbled angrily, rolling around to turn away and buried himself further into Tsuna's chest, hiding away from the light. Tsuna didn't mind the light, keeping himself still and deep in slumber. However, he shifted a little afterwards when the ray began to heat up and pulled Reborn closer against him, wrapping his arms tightly around the baby. He didn't want to let the other go, not anytime soon.

An hour later, they both heard a door opening and a presence Tsuna didn't recognize entered the building. Reborn didn't budge from his spot, too comfortable to attempt despite knowing who had entered. Tsuna identified the other presence that was behind as Hayato and felt the two heading straight up the stairs, their footsteps clearly audible. Nana was in the kitchen, starting breakfast for all the residents of the household while everyone else was still fast asleep. Tsuna grumbled lightly under his breath and rolled slightly to the side before burying his face straight into the pillow. Just as he did that, the door was knocked on and opened, revealing Hayato and none other than Doctor Shamal. It was only then that they both remembered the silver-haired teen saying he had called the doctor and would be arriving in the morning.

"Good morning, Tsuna-sama! I brought Shamal!" The silver-haired teen called out happily, looking quite proud of himself. Tsuna gave another grumble, barely lifting his head up from the pillow and stared at the two before crashing back down. He didn't want to deal with any of them, not right now anyway with his lack of sleep and buried his face back into the pillow to avoid the light. Reborn immediately sat up from his side of the bed, ignoring the curious glance from Shamal and hopped down onto floor with gracefulness. Soon after, he turned to examine the two, having heard old rumors about them. Within seconds, he identified them as completely true. The two before the baby were definitely teacher and student with the latter copying Shamal's hairstyle in hopes of being closer. If anything by that desire, Hayato looked up to the doctor as a parental figure despite the man's horrible tastes and preferences. Reborn glanced towards Tsuna and almost smirked, their _own_ relationship was still questionable, but it wasn't a bad one either. They knew how to get along and they both knew that in the future, they were close lovers. Reborn momentarily froze at that realization. The thoughts of Tsuna leaving flew out the window - the brunet was still there with him after ten years...

"Doctor Shamal, it's good to see you." Reborn commented the moment he turned his attention back to the adult, jumping up onto the nightstand to grab both his fedora and Leon. He didn't like being underdressed when there were others around. His fingers reached upward to pet his partner, feeling the chameleon lick him tenderly. His black jacket was off, but he paid no mind to it.

"Reborn," Shamal nodded his head before turning to the brunet whose eyes were staring at him questionably from his awkward position. Tsuna had rolled onto his side to face the group and stared at them blankly. The doctor grumbled, "Look, I don't treat men, only women."

"Dammit, idiot doctor! I asked for your help!"

"Gokudera." Reborn cut in, turning both teacher and student towards him. "Shamal, why don't you just take a look at Tsuna? You don't need to treat him if it isn't necessary."

The doctor grumbled under his breath once more but moved forward, watching as Tsuna shuffled back to allow extra room on the bed. He sat down on the edge and peered at the brunet he had been hearing about. Normally, he would be making all sorts of complaints, but this was the first time Hayato had ever gone out of his way to ask for his help. In all honesty, Shamal was curious about the brat who had managed to not only ensnarl his student's heart but also melt it. It was so clear over the phone that the silver-haired teen held affection for the other, which had never happened before, not even towards his own family. And the best part was that he could tell that Reborn was overly fond of the child as well if the morning bit accounted to anything. Shamal leaned over, studying the boy closely for any signs of sickness. His fingers trailed over the face, feeling for a temperature as well as for any swollen lymph nodes. Nothing, everything seemed normal. There was no sweating, no discoloration of the skin, and no signs of pain.

Shamal didn't speak and reached over to the bag he had brought in with him for his stethoscope. "Alright, I don't see any problems or anything that I can really note so far." He threw a glance towards Hayato, wondering why he had been called in for a non-sick person. If anything, Tsuna looked perfectly healthy. Still, he'd do some extra assessments to make sure. He listened to both of the lungs first, testing each section of the lobe on the front and back. His fingers percussed over the sections to see if he could pick up any abnormal sounds. Nothing, there was no adventitious sounds in the lungs. He tried the heart next, listening to the valves and heart rate. Normal, everything was within range.

"Kid, you're perfectly healthy," Shamal pulled the device away, placing it back into his bag. There was no need to use his mosquitoes for anything. It would just be a waste of resources. He shifted around to face his student and huffed. "There's nothing wrong. Whatever he had last night must have already passed."

A small flash of relief lapsed within Reborn's eyes, unnoticed by everyone except for Tsuna who simply smirked in response. Hayato looked positively confused, not sure how to react to that. Still, he was happy, knowing that his precious boss would be perfectly alright. "I see…" That meant he had called the person he looked up to here for nothing.

Tsuna suddenly sat up, peering at Hayato before looking at Shamal. He almost sighed, his eyes momentarily catching attention of the hitman before going back to the doctor. "You're right. I was incredibly sick yesterday, but it seems to have passed with some good night's sleep. I apologize for having you come all the way out here at such short notice for nothing."

The doctor seemed to hum to himself for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. "Oh well, its fine," He stood up, getting his stuff together and lifted it up in one hand. "Well, I'm going to head out since I'm no longer needed here. I saw quite the mass of beautiful ladies on the way over here. I'd better go now if I want to catch them." A sickening expression passed his face, not noticing the huff that Hayato gave.

"Idiotic perverted doctor…"

Reborn shook his head, hopping up to join Tsuna back in bed and watched as the doctor left the room, heading down the stairs. Hayato looked a little disappointed for not being helpful and glanced towards the two on bed curiously. He opened his mouth for a second to say something but the hitman beat him to it. "Why don't you follow Shamal for a while and keep him out of trouble? Knowing him, he's sure to do something wrong. And don't worry, Tsuna will be staying home from school today. You can visit him later."

The storm guardian looked a little surprised but appreciated it nonetheless, nodding his head in thanks. With one last look and announcing his departure, he ran out the bedroom after closing the door behind him with a loud slam. This left the two on the bed alone in the room. Tsuna shifted around in the sheets and flopped back down, settling into the covers happily as he pulled them around his frame. Within seconds, Reborn was joining him, burying himself back into Tsuna's warm grasp blissfully. He didn't like the thought of skipping breakfast, but for today, it wasn't all that bad of an idea.

The brunet chuckled and lifted his right arm up. With one scoop of his hand, the curtains closed, leaving the room with little light and making it perfect to continue sleeping. Reborn chuckled and closed his eyes, allowing himself to drift off. For a moment, just before he fell deep into slumber, a small hint of a smile slipped onto his lips.

* * *

"Hey, Tsuna."

"Hmm?"

"In the last memories you transferred, those other Kings and Queens of Hell who stood up for you, who are they exactly?"

"Ah those. Well you already know about Veil, who is as you know represents one of the seven sins. Ceslestia and Higashi rule over water. If you talk to them about Poseidon they'll take offense."

"How so?"

"Poseidon is the Ruler of the Sea, big difference. Water is everything. They can even control the water that's inside a human body. If they wanted to, they could extract the water from a human body, ultimately killing that person."

"Why do most of these demons sound so powerful?"

"Because we rule over certain areas? Though it's to be expected, our bodies are completely different. Anyway, Nishi rules over wind and I think it's pretty self-explanatory. Sometimes he creates tornadoes or hurricanes out of mere amusement or to destroy cities that he's taken a disliking to."

"How powerful are you exactly?"

"Hmm, I believe somewhere between number ten and twenty on the list. There's about forty of us. I'm not the strongest, but I'm not exactly weak either. Tsunayoshi is in the top ten, same with Veil."

"So you're pretty strong then? Stronger than me?"

"I guess if you want to think it that way. In my original body, I can easily destroy an entire world with a flick of my hand. However, since I'm in a human body, I'm severely limited in my abilities. The ring will help, but only so much."

* * *

Later that same morning, about a few hours after Shamal and Hayato had left, Byakuran came storming into the bedroom with a massive grin. The sound snapped the two awake, knowing who was coming up the stairs and they glared at the white-haired male who remained completely unaffected. Within moments, he spilled that he would be staying somewhere nearby in order to be closer to Tsuna and to the chaos that seemed to surround the brunet. Apparently, the Mare ring holder would be constructing a base not too far away, in an underground mall to be specific, that would be part of Gesso's operations in the future.

Tsuna didn't care, not minding the extra presence, and allowed the hitman to listen in on their conversation about what was happening. It was only so that Reborn could tell Vongola to ignore the construction of an unfamiliar mafia group since Byakuran was more of an ally than enemy at this current point in time (Well, to Tsuna anyway). As Byakuran and Reborn chatted, the brunet's mind drifted away, not interested in listening any further. His ears picked up various sounds in the household, from the water rushing through the pipelines to the sizzling of ingredients at the stove. Amongst all that, he singled out a small mutter from Nana downstairs about still not having sent that message to her darling Iemitsu about the whole boyfriend thing. He chuckled in amusement, wondering how that would go, considering Iemitsu's overbearing personality and his dislike towards him.

Eventually, Byakuran left after taking a few plates of food with him, courtesy of Nana, and disappeared. This left the two back in bed, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep. They managed to do so before Fong came hopping through the window, shifting through the thick curtains. The Chinese baby took one look at the two cuddled up on the bed and chuckled, finding the sight amusing. Reborn grumbled under his breath and lifted himself up, slipping away from Tsuna's tight grasp since he didn't want to be questioned about his unusual position. He had given up on getting anymore sleep, not when there was one interruption after another.

Reborn glared, finally putting on his jacket. "So where have you been?"

Fong just smiled. "Just finishing a job. I needed to complete I-Pin's since she didn't. She's young so it's fine."

"I see."

The day seemed to continue on like always, however, Reborn remained close by to Tsuna, keeping an eye on him. Eventually, the brunet decided to rise in the late morning, heading downstairs for some lunch. Reborn followed, seated in his personal spot on the right shoulder and watched as the brunet went about his day. Nana didn't mind allowing Tsuna cook for lunch, watching in glee as he did so. For her, it was a nice change compared to the usual and she also wanted to see her adorable son's abilities. The younger kids watched in wonder as their older brother figure worked his magic on the stove, staring happily at the sight. No one minded and they quickly devoured the food before them with cheerful smiles on their faces. Tsuna remained quiet, hiding towards the side as everything went on before finally sneaking out of the kitchen to escape from the rising level of noise. Reborn watched as the brunet vanished back upstairs and followed along after finishing. In the back of his mind, he couldn't help but think that Tsuna was acting like a shadow, vanishing out of the corner of people's eyes. He wondered why the brunet was suddenly acting like this.

"Tsuna," Reborn hopped up onto the brunet's shoulder, following as the other went up the stairs. "What are you doing?"

For a moment, the brunet paused before answering, already halfway up the stairs. "I don't really want to be around people right now."

The hitman tilted his head at that but didn't say anything else and leant against the teenager as Tsuna wandered back into the bedroom. Almost automatically, the immortal settled down on the floor, inclining against the bed and pulled out a book to start reading. Reborn blinked, it had been a while since he'd last seen this scene. Settling down beside the brunet, he pulled out one of his own, joining Tsuna in his little reading spree for the day.

* * *

The next day, Tsuna had to head back to school, something he wasn't very keen about. Still, he didn't argue, he followed Reborn's commands easily without much resistant on his part and got up early to get ready. His two friends were following along after leaving the house like usual, chattering around him while at the same time trying to make a conversation for him to connect with. It was kind, but unnecessary. Still, it was nice to have things settling back to how they were before the incident – before the mess. Reborn was sitting comfortably in his arms like normal, enjoying being in the warm grasp instead of the shoulder, while Leon was wrapped tightly around the top of his fedora, apparently fast asleep. Tsuna almost chuckled at the sight, his fingers from his free hand reaching down to twirl one of Reborn's sideburns, much to the latter distaste.

The four of them went through the front gate of the school with no issues, no one stopping them despite being out of code. Takeshi even had his sword strapped to his back, laughing along in the background about one thing or another. Ostensibly, today the disciplinary committee wasn't checking outfits and the group just slipped into the classroom, ignoring the usual stares directed at them from the other students in the classroom. No one really paid any more attention than the usual and the group sat down in their usual seats, waiting for class to start. There was some chatter from the surrounding groups but it all went ignored by the four. About halfway, Reborn suddenly wandered off, saying that he wanted to talk to Fong a little more about some business.

Tsuna peered at him questionably, but nodded his head in understanding, loosening his grip on the baby. It was only then that he saw a flash of red from the window, which he quickly identified as Fong. As Reborn left the room, Hayato and Takeshi settled beside him with a worried look.

"Are you sure you should be up and about, Tsuna?" Takeshi leaned over, looking over Tsuna's expression for any signs of the sickness.

"Yes, I'm fine," The brunet nodded his head, his fingers gripping onto a book as he opened the cover page. "I recovered yesterday. Sorry for worrying you both."

Hayato beamed. "Don't worry about it, Tsuna-sama!" He leaned forward, plopping down onto one of the desks. "If you need anything, you should just ask us."

The rain guardian caught on and grinned. "Yeah, we'll help out to the best of our abilities."

At that, Tsuna chuckled lightly, the two almost missing it, and he sighed soon after. He waved his hand before him and placed his open book onto the desk. "Yes, yes, I know very well. You two are very kind to me regardless of my… issues."

"Tsuna-sama," The silver-haired teen spoke up, grinning. "We're your friends and guardians. We'll be with you to the very end no matter what."

Freezing at those words, Tsuna glanced away, closing his eyes. "T…Thanks."

A few minutes before class started, more people began to pour into the room, many trying to find their seats before the bell rang. No one looked up from their spots, getting ready for the day while others were chatting to their classmates beside them. The group of three remained close to the side, far away from people who could easily eavesdrop on their conversation. Suddenly, a girl stepped through the front door, clearly not in the same grade as everyone else. Her hands and legs were shaking as she peered around the room cautiously, searching for something or someone that was inside. No one paid any attention, everyone in their own little world. As she took a step further into the classroom, her eyes began to glance at each and every student before finally stopping on Tsuna. She flinched at the sight but took a deep breath, muttering words under her breath before moving forward. The girl weaved through the classroom and around the students, making her way to the group.

"C-Cursed-Tsuna," The girl called out the moment she was right behind the brunet, immediately catching the group's attention. Tsuna was the first one to turn around, glancing at the student in question, and simply blinked his eyes. He didn't show any flicker of emotion on his expression and merely stared, his gaze unwavering. The girl stepped closer, looking completely nervous and fearful, scared of talking to the other well-known monster of the school besides Hibari. Her shaking was getting worse and her complexion was beginning to grow pale. Everyone around her stared from her announcement, wondering what she would want with Cursed-Tsuna of all people. Hayato and Takeshi remained by Tsuna's side, never leaving, and peered at each other curiously as they awaited the end results. It was unusual for anyone to willingly talk to the brunet with all the rumors floating about and so they kept quiet. It was a hard thing to understand despite Takeshi being one of them previously. "C-Can I talk to you?"

"You are," Tsuna said bluntly, making the girl flinch. Soon after, he sighed heavily and waved his hand after putting down his book on the desk just after picking it up. "Just say what you have on your mind, don't sugarcoat it."

The student flinched again, her eyes drifting side to side nervously before looking straight into Tsuna's honey-colored eyes. "Y-You see, I… need help." The wandering eyes of the classmates weren't helping and she began to shrink down from the gazes. The group of three peered at each other, quickly making a decision amongst each other without saying a word, before standing up. The girl jumped but understood what was happening soon after as they wandered out of the room and into the hallway, away from the rest of the student population. It was easier to talk when there weren't others around to listen in and it wasn't often that someone came up to Tsuna so all ears were leaning over to eavesdrop on the conversation.

The brunet spoke once they were alone. "Help?"

"Well, not me exactly…"

Hayato huffed and took a step forward, stomping his foot against the floor. "Just spit it out, woman!"

The female let out a small squeak and backed away, fear flashing through her eyes. Takeshi stepped beside the silver-haired teen and held him back, preventing him from doing anything else that would cause a negative reaction in the girl. The rain guardian could already tell she was scared enough - things didn't need to escalate with Hayato's short temper. With a flashing smile from Takeshi, the girl calmed down but still looked nervous about something. She was scared, that wasn't hard to tell, and appeared quite worried about whatever was on her mind. It was obvious that that was the reason why she was in front of them in the first place.

Tsuna sighed. "Look, I can't help you or know what's troubling you if you don't speak up."

At his words, the girl glanced up once more, a flash of desperation moving through her eyes. "Mochida, he's… he's really angry about being denied a relationship when he's interested in someone. I thought he was an okay guy even when he was dating multiple girls at the same time, but now he's…"

As that name slipped through the girl's lips, the three males glanced at each other in disgust, well, except for Tsuna. Mochida wasn't the most welcoming person and was a well-known two-timer among the female population. He also enjoyed taunting and bullying the weak, tormenting them day in and day out for delight. For a moment, the males thought she was going to ask for revenge on Mochida for cheating on her but they soon thought otherwise. It was clear in her voice that she had been okay with the entire thing, not minding the man's horrible ways. Why she liked him? They would never find out. However, the next set of words surprised them, shocking them into silence. Even Tsuna himself was surprised.

"Mochida… He's planning on cornering Kyoko before school starts… and raping her in an act of revenge. He wants to destroy her for what she has done to him."


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by Ankou13 and WhiteAngel128
> 
> Edited: 10/18/15

_"Mochida… He's planning on cornering Kyoko before school starts… and raping her in an act of revenge._ _He wants to destroy her for what she has done to him."_

"Say, what?" Hayato whispered in disbelief, the words the girl had spoken slipping right over him. Even Takeshi appeared shell-shocked and was unable to comprehend exactly what he had heard. Only Tsuna remained the same, with no emotion on his face and an indifferent stare. He glanced to the side, almost like he was contemplating something before returning his cold gaze to the girl. The female student looked positively terrified as her hands continued to shake uncontrollably, even before she had spoken up to him. As soon as she noticed the stares, she entangled her hands into her skirt and bit down on her bottom lip in an effort to control her shaking. A short silence fell over the group before Tsuna finally moved.

"Hayato. Takeshi," His clear voice cut through the dense atmosphere without any hesitation, and he turned his sharp, honey-colored eyes towards his companions. He watched them flinch at the sudden attention. "You will follow my instructions down to the very word. Although I do not like Kyoko, even I know this isn't right." He closed his eyes for a moment to let this information settle into the guardians' minds before twisting back to the girl. "You should head back to class. We'll take care of this. Nothing will happen to her, I can promise you that. But do you have any ideas as to why Mochida wanted to do such a thing in the first place? I know he's not the most pleasant man but this is going too far."

"Mochida is a very prideful man. He's always used to getting what he wants even with his family at home, but Kyoko denied him each and every time whenever he asked her out. She never wanted to go out with him, she avoided him, and that friend of hers even embarrassed him out of spite. Rage consumed him and it just… burned too much to be controlled any longer. I don't...want anything bad to happen to her. Kyoko is a nice person, she doesn't deserve such a thing to happen to her, not like this." She paused for a moment before continuing. "Do you really think you can stop him?"

"Yes, now go."

The female student looked hesitant at first, but after a few moments complied, she rushed down the hallway until disappearing around the corner. The slamming of a door echoed down the corridor, informing the trio that she had disappeared into her classroom. This left the three males by themselves. The two guardians glanced at each other for a moment and nodded their heads, ready for their instructions. They mentally gathered themselves in preparation and would follow their boss's orders with no questions asked. Tsuna almost shook his head at the sight.

"Hayato, I want you to find Hana for me and lead her to the Disciplinary Committee room. That will be our meeting place. Do not worry about Hibari, he'll be elsewhere. Takeshi, you will find Kyoko's brother and take him there as well. Those two will give Kyoko support after this traumatic event. However, do not alert them to the specifics of what is happening as best you can. I don't want them acting on their own and disrupting what I plan on doing, especially since Ryohei's so impulsive," Tsuna spoke like there was nothing wrong, his face was calm as he concocted his plan. "If you mess up, you are to alert me or Reborn as quickly as possible through text."

The two simply nodded their heads, committing their orders to memory as they decided on the best way to approach their assigned individuals. They would make their friend proud, no matter what. It was only a second later that Hayato spoke up, wanting to know what his boss would be doing. "And what about you, Tsuna-sama? What do you plan on doing?"

"I will find Hibari and together we'll confront Mochida. He'll be useful in covering up what's about to happen so there's no need for you two to get involved in that part. We still have time to save her and get things ready, but it's limited, so we must act quickly. Now go," Tsuna slowly began to walk off, momentarily looking up at the ceiling. It was only then that a small figure jumped out from one of the side vents and gracefully landed onto the brunet's shoulder. Tsuna paused to let the other settle before moving once more. He kept his gaze forward as he spoke. "Have you finished talking with Fong?"

"Of course, I am. Fong has headed back to the household to speak to I-pin for a while," The hitman responded. "I also heard your conversation so I'll follow you. Of course, you already expected that."

"Obviously, now let's go." Without saying another word, Tsuna took off, jogging down the hallways as he searched out the familiar tyrant of the school. He didn't have plenty of time to work with, but everything would work out, he just knew it. He glanced back at his two guardians and smirked, they had really come a long way from his first meetings with them - a _very_ long way. In a way, he knew he had helped them grow and in return, they had done the same for him. It wasn't much, not enough for him to openly admit it. After all, the one to break through his barrier and make him step outside his own little world was none other than Reborn. After that, his two guardians, his two friends, had dragged him further out to grow comfortable with other people. It had been a slow process, but he was moving towards a positive route. He could tell.

The others changes weren't all that different. Hayato had become slightly more accepting of the people around him, listening to people's words more so than before. Takeshi, however, had been moving rapidly along. Within these months, Takeshi was more confident, more endearing, and no doubt had matured over time. His smiles were meaningful and honest to his feelings compared to before when all they were all fake. Not to mention his skills with a blade had grown, that was far too obvious.

Tsuna glanced at Reborn for a moment before turning away and continuing down his path. He wasn't sure about the hitman, considering the baby's personality and his ability to keep his emotions off his face. He wanted to say that they were close, very close, but he wasn't confident enough to admit it. Still, there was a small well of feelings slowly budding between them and it was becoming more obvious each day that passed. Tsuna smiled softly to himself, he was beginning to see how his future would be panning out, even without his futuristic visions.

* * *

Hayato knew he couldn't fail, not when it had been such a simple order. He opened the classroom door to peek inside, knowing very well that class was just moments away from starting. The teacher jumped at the sound of the door slamming open and he glared at the teen with hateful eyes. It wasn't a secret that the teacher loathed the delinquent, knowing very well that the teen could easily outsmart him. It was his very wish to fail the brat enough to kick him out.

"Almost late, huh? For someone so smart, you should learn to be on time as well," The man sneered hatefully, gripping his textbook tightly, and turned back to the chalkboard where he had been about to write his plans for the day. "Now take a seat before you miss anything important."

Hayato just gave a huff and glanced away, looking among the classmates who were within the room. His eyes roamed over the students, ignoring the squealing from his so-called fangirls. He spotted the one person he had been looking for near the middle. Automatically, he walked over, ignoring the curious gazes from the audience as well as the glaring from the teacher. Everyone couldn't help but stare questionably, wondering what was going on. There was also the fact that the other two companions that Hayato was always with weren't nearby. He stopped beside Hana's desk and spoke, keeping himself calm despite every cell in his body telling him to reach out and drag the woman away, "You need to come with me."

Hana blinked, a little startled that the short-tempered male would come to her of all people. They had rarely ever interacted much less had a decent conversation that didn't involve arguing of some sort. Despite that, she held her own and glared. "Oh? And why should I?"

"Tch, idiot woman," The silver-haired teen sneered under his breath and tilted his head to the side. He tried to think of the right words, not wanting to get into an argument and lose precious time. "Your friend is in danger and we want you to help her, idiot."

Now _that_ got her attention and she immediately tensed as her mind went through the various names she knew. There was only one that stood out and she responded instantly. "Kyoko?" She jumped up from her seat. "You don't mean her, do you? What happened to her?" Her eyes narrowed dangerously at that as she thought about the various situations her friend could be forced into. "You better not have harmed her or I'll-"

"Nothing has happened yet and I didn't do anything, did you just not hear me? Anyway, you still need to come along. Tsuna-sama told me he'll take care of it, but he wants you to come along just in case. Something about support."

"Support?" Hana rubbed the bottom of her chin in question. It was clear that the two had become the center of the room's attention with the teacher fuming in the background. Still, she would abandon such a setting, especially when it came to the concern on Kyoko's welfare. She nodded her head and pulled away from her desk, looking quite composed despite her concern for her friend. "Fine, where to?"

"To the Disciplinary Committee's office."

* * *

Takeshi glanced around the various hallways, trying to find where the upperclassman he was searching for would be. He had a strong feeling that Ryohei, Kyoko's brother, wouldn't be in class, but probably in the boxing clubroom - the teen's favorite past time. It was a long shot, but it was better than pointless searching throughout the large campus and time was of the essence. Takeshi _refused_ to fail Tsuna with such a simple request - it would look horrible on his part. He ran down the hallways with his sheathed sword resting against his shoulder, avoiding people in the hallways that were rushing to their classrooms, and escaped to the outside of the school building to continue his search. He spotted the place he was looking for not too far away and he smirked happily to himself. 'There.'

As he got closer, he could hear a loud, booming voice from inside the room. It was yelling about one thing or another, but it was so muffled that he couldn't understand the dialogue. He couldn't help but pause for a moment as he took the sounds in, wondering what the brother could be screaming about, though Takeshi had a good idea. When he got closer, the voice was much clearer, coming out as yells and grunts, and was followed up by a loud smack. Takeshi peeked through the small gap of the slightly open door to see what was going on within and spotted the person he was looking for on the left side of the room. Ryohei was rapidly pounding his fists into the punching bag before pausing, spinning, and repeating. Each punch forcefully made the sandbag bounce. Yet, despite the aggressive movements, there was only a little bit of sweat was dripping down the side of the teenager's face. It was interesting to watch as the boxer continued on almost effortlessly.

Still, Takeshi had a purpose to fulfill and he couldn't waste time simply watching. He used his sheathed sword to gently knock on the door and listened as the sound echoed in the room. Ryohei stopped what he was doing to turn around mid-punch, his eyes snapping towards the interrupter. The white-haired teen beamed at the sight, looking quite excited and took a step forward with his fist raised against his chest.

"Oi! I know you!" Ryohei called out excitedly, grinning from ear to ear. "Let's have an extreme battle!"

Takeshi shook his head at that. "Can't do. I actually came here for a different reason. I need you to come with me. We have someone to go see."

"See?" This made the older teen pause, tilting his head slightly in confusion. "See who?"

"Well, there are two of them: my best friend and your sister," Takeshi smiled gently at the mention of the brunet and took a step closer. "Kyoko is in danger, but don't worry, Tsuna can handle anything that comes his way. He'll save her in time, I know it."

At the mentioning of his younger sibling, Ryohei's attitude changed. It morphed into something darker and suspicious. There was no doubt in Takeshi's mind that Ryohei loved his darling sister, a lot. "What do you mean? I don't understand what's going on! Is she in some extreme trouble?"

"You'll find out," The swordsmen continued. "That's why I want you to follow me so that you'll understand everything."

* * *

Hibari sneered at the sight of the fools who traveled down the hallway as they rushed towards class, trying to decide whether or not to punish them. How he hated most of them and their cowardice. They were all idiots, every single one of them. However, for the past few months, his attention had been on the baby who's been running around the school creating chaos - a baby that belonged to Sawada Tsunayoshi.

He sneered to himself, he still remembered the previous incident with Cursed-Tsuna, and though he had let it go at the time, it didn't mean he would forever. Still, the teen didn't cause much trouble besides the stories that echoed around the school and he was quite skilled in disappearing into a crowd. With all those issues, he never had to deal with the brunet, the teen simply keeping to himself and remaining in the background, and never bothered with anyone unless necessary. Besides his infamous name, he never did anything that made him stand out too much and because of that, they never really butted heads. In all honesty, Hibari never disturbed him much either. He had attempted to find out about the rumors, only to find nothing but a cold-hearted being before his very eyes. There was no worth or pleasure in fighting someone who didn't care about anything - didn't care if he lost or won a match. There wasn't any sparks of fear either. Fighting such a person would be pointless and a waste of energy. And so, Hibari left him alone.

Well, until now that was. These days he's been seeing Cursed-Tsuna with those two followers and getting himself into trouble because of them. And there was also the baby who constantly remained near Tsuna, that one would be a perfect opponent to test his strength on. Despite the infantile appearance, he could sense the massive amount of power that tiny body held. Oh, how he wished to battle the hitman. He would one day, he'd make sure of it.

As he moved further down the hallway, he suddenly picked up the sounds of footsteps behind him. Hibari turned around, ready to punish the fool who would dare be out of class. The last bell had rung less than a minute ago and the person he was about to face would be considered late. If the person had a pass… well, that didn't matter at this point. He licked his lips. At long last, he'd finally be able to beat someone up. He'd been meaning to release some energy today. However, as his eyes turned to face the person, he paused. 'Oh, well, what do you know…'

Hibari stared at the teen he had been previously thinking about, watching as Tsuna stepped further down the hallway with Reborn on his right shoulder. The two didn't seem to care that they were wandering about during class hours and instead just stopped two feet before the Disciplinary Committee leader. There was no fear in those eyes, no concern about meeting him.

"You have some nerve to be wandering around the hallways after class has started," Hibari grinned, his fingers tempted to reach for his tonfa. Despite knowing that there was probably no point, he still wanted to fight. He'd been dying of boredom for far too long. "I'll bite you to death for disobeying the rules."

Tsuna simply stared back, his eyes flickering from behind the skylark to the person before him. His lips were stuck as a thin line which irked the black-haired teen. Just as Hibari was about to speak up, Tsuna beat him to it, "I need you to follow me."

"Oh?" Hibari paused for a moment in surprise. This was probably the first time they had ever had an actual conflict much less a real conversation like this. It interested him and he couldn't blame himself. "And why should I listen to you?"

"Because a Namimori student is about to be attacked," Tsuna's words cut through him and the other could only pause in surprise, clearly not expecting it. Reborn tilted his fedora downwards, hiding his eyes from the person before him. There was no doubt they had caught the attention of the teenager who protected the school and its inhabitants. Tsuna continued, "If you don't hurry, it'll be too late to save her."

Hibari straightened out his form, crossing his arms as he looked over the two before him. "Why should I believe you?"

"Why would I lie?"

Hibari narrowed his eyes at those words, it was true. There was no point in lying, not for something like this. That, and Tsuna never bothered him before. He gave a huff and tilted his head to the side, letting the brunet know that he'd follow behind him. The Sorcerer King nodded and walked forward, moving past the black-haired teen to travel further down the hallway and towards his destination. Reborn leaned against the soft caramel-colored hair and fingered a few strands, enjoying the scent that lingered. He spoke, "Do you really know where it's taking place? You went off without really asking the girl about the location."

"Don't need to. There is only one place on the entire campus where no one would be able to hear or accidentally come across them."

"Oh?"

"Yes," Tsuna turned the corner, knowing he had Hibari right behind him. "It's the supply room in the far east corner of school. The doors to that room are much thicker than any others. Sound won't move through it easily unless one was very close. However, with all the students currently in class, no one would hear a thing and Mochida would get away with the deed."

"So it's that simple?"

"Yes, sadly. You know how things work better than anyone else, especially in your profession," Tsuna glanced up at the hitman and chuckled gently. "Don't worry. We'll make it in time before anything really happens. She'll still be traumatized, but it's better than what it could have been."

Reborn smirked, it was true. Still, as he glanced down at the brunet, he thought back to when he had first met him. Not too long ago, Tsuna would never have bothered with such things, but now… Tsuna did. Things have been changing and it was certainly for the better. He was feeling a little proud of those facts.

* * *

"Mochida? Why are we here?" Kyoko asked as the other male pushed her into the storage building. One moment she had been walking towards class, the next Mochida had grabbed her arm and began dragging her away. She didn't know what to do and it had to be one of the days that her best friend, Hana, wasn't with her. Still, she had kept quiet, hoping the other would speak up, but he never did. "Mochida?"

The male didn't respond, he simply closed the door behind them, slamming it with a loud echo. The storage room rattled at the force, the utensils within shaking. His back was turned to her and he leaned forward towards the door as if purposefully blocking it.

Kyoko continued to stare cautiously, beginning to feel slightly worried as if she had been trapped in a terrible situation. She had always known about Mochida's feelings towards her, but she denied them for a good reason. There had been something about him, something she didn't like, and it was stronger now than ever before. She shivered at the coldness of the air and took a step back in fear. She didn't feel safe, not here and not with _him_. "Mochida? Please answer me."

"I've always admired you. I've always wanted to have you. I could have upped my reputation, my standards, but no, you had to keep denying me," Slowly, Mochida turned around and faced the idol of the school. His face was dark and filled with evil as he stared at the female, gazing at her as if she were merely a piece of meat. "Why couldn't you have done as you were told? It would have made things easier. But that one time you denied me before everyone in school and then that horrid friend of yours embarrassed me just irritated me endlessly. It continues to do so even now. I _hate_ it. I want to get rid of _this_ feeling. I want it _gone_."

Kyoko watched as Mochida ranted while she placed her hands together as if forming some sort of defense between them. She bit down on her bottom lip and peered around her, hoping for someplace to escape. However, the only place was the door Mochida was blocking.

"And so, I figured out a way," Mochida smirked, taking a step forward. "If I could dethrone the idol, taint her black, then all would be better. You'd just be like everyone else - nothing special, nothing extraordinary. Useless. _Worthless_. It would make everything _better_. I wouldn't have to bother anymore." He smirked again, his crazed state apparent, and walked forward some more. He enjoyed the scared look she was giving him. Here, she was just another girl, weak and helpless to his advances. It was _perfect_.

"Please let me go, Mochida," The idol of the school backed up again, fear settling into her mind like a disease that was eating away at her body. "Mochida…"

"I think it's about time you step down forever," The male slowly began to reach out towards the female, grinning sinisterly. His fingers grasped her shoulders, ignoring the squirming, and chuckled darkly. "I'll definitely make you pay-"

" _I suggest you stop where you are_."

Both Mochida and Kyoko snapped towards the entrance of the room, both clearly shocked. However, soon after, their faces transformed rapidly: Mochida into rage from being interrupted and Kyoko's into pure happiness.

"What are you doing here, Cursed-Tsuna?" Mochida snapped angrily, only seeing the brunet standing there with Reborn on his shoulder. He couldn't see Hibari up against the other side of the wall, the skylark's arms folded against his chest as he listened in on the conversation. His fingers were twitching to punish the other, but he held back to see how the brunet would do it. Tsuna could have the spotlight until the conclusion, he'd just wait for the results.

"Tsuna!"

The brunet simply stood there with a bored look, staring down at the two. "You plan on stopping and getting out of here anytime soon?"

Mochida simply sneered at those words, sensing the mocking tone of within them. He turned away from Kyoko, no longer focusing on her, and instead concentrated on the brunet at the door. "What? You plan on saving her? I didn't know you actually cared about people."

There was a strong hopefulness in Kyoko's eyes from those words, but it was all gone the next second when Tsuna spoke, "I don't," The immortal shrugged his shoulders, taking a step closer, all while keeping the door behind open to let the sunlight enter. "I'm here for something else." He reached into his jacket, grabbing something that lied within the darkness. Everyone watched curiously, wondering what the teenager was planning on doing. Soon, something metal came sliding out, glittering in the sun behind him, before revealing itself to be a knife.

"What?" Mochida whispered under his breath, his eyes never straying far from the blade. "You brought a knife _here_? Are you insane?"

"Why not?" There was a sinister chuckle echoing darkly within the brunet's tone of voice, no hesitation in Tsuna's eyes as he held the knife carefully in his fingers. Reborn jumped off the immortal's shoulder, landing onto one of the cabinets and simply remained there to watch the scene. This was Tsuna's moment and even Hibari knew better than to interrupt. Kyoko glanced between the two males before finally finding the strength to move and slip outside. A few moments later, when she was halfway between the school and the storage building, the girl momentarily looked back, finding herself unable to move any further. Her eyes rested on the group of people and simply froze. She didn't want to leave, not yet.

Mochida growled, not bothered by his victim's escape and was instead focused on Tsuna, the one who was clearly more threatening. "And what do you intend on doing with that knife? Cut me? Are you a fucking idiot?"

The brunet tilted his head and glanced down at said object. "Not just cut you. I'm planning on finely chopping you up. I plan on killing you and making you disappear forever."

A sudden shiver went down the other male's spine as he heard those words, not expecting the details. "K-Kill me?" Slight fear tinged his voice as he stuttered and continued to stare at the other in disbelief. It was only then that he realized that this _person_ standing before him was Cursed-Tsuna, the so-called teenager who was notorious for harming people with various methods, even killing. Of course, it was never proven, but the rumors remained true among the student population. There was no doubt that the deed would be done if Tsuna said so. Mochida sneered in an effort to act brave against the face of a monster, backing up as fear began to settle in his mind. "You can't kill me. My family would hunt you down. The police would, too."

Tsuna just stared creepily, his bangs sliding slowly over his eyes. "Oh? I doubt that. Your family is next after I'm finished with you, but their deaths will look like it was simply an accident. You have an older sister, right? I think a minor car accident will take care of her," His normally honey-colored orbs shifted into a bright orange, glowing intensely as Tsuna described Mochida's family's future. "Your mother likes to take bubble baths after lunch, I think one of her precious hair driers might just fall into the water. Poor her, I don't think she'll survive that blast of electricity. As for your father, he owns a dojo, yes? Maybe one of the boards underneath his feet will crack and he'll accidentally impale himself on his sword. See, they're all accidents. There's no connection to me at all." The brunet brought the knife up, staring at the sharp reflection that peered right back at him. The blade glared from the sunlight behind him and into the dark room, reflecting off the various utensils. "Yours however, won't. No, I plan on chopping you up into multiple pieces. When I'm done, they'll have to piece you together just to identify the remains, which I doubt they ever will. Humans aren't exactly the smartest creatures around. They lack many things and they don't learn about said things until it's too late. The police will _never_ find every little piece of you since some might just disappear," His honey-colored eyes glanced back towards Hibari. "That and I don't think Hibari will let them. The police wouldn't dare disobey Hibari of all people."

It was with those words that Mochida was fully registering what might happen to him in mere moments. It was clear, so very clear, and far too obvious. He whimpered slightly as he pressed himself against the wall and cowered underneath Tsuna's dark glare. The blade snapped to the brunet's side with a sharp surge of wind. It was apparent from the reflexes on Tsuna's fingers that he knew how to use it and for what it was intended. Mochida would be an idiot to not notice the way Tsuna held it so carefully.

Hibari continued to listen in, never bothering to do anything to help or save the student. It was pointless, Tsuna had already won. Mochida was a dead man and it was all over. Still, the skylark licked his lips in happiness as he thought about facing the brunet in a battle. A battle to the death… Oh, it sounded so interesting. His eyes held a smirk and glanced towards the idol of the school, wondering momentarily if she could see or hear what was going on. However, Kyoko was too far away from the storage building to do so, her mind elsewhere. Snorting, he reached across the open space and closed the door. He didn't want anyone hearing the screams that will occur and come looking out of curiosity.

Tsuna smiled softly, not in kindness but in menace, and smirked soon after as the light vanished from behind him. The blade dangled momentarily in his hand before suddenly rushing forward with a snap. He made sure that the first cut went through the throat, ending all possibilities of sound. The flesh splintered open, the insides visible as the muscles split in two, and blood was gushed across the wall in a splatter. Tsuna remained unaffected by the neat death state the teen before him was quickly falling into and watched as Mochida scrambled for some breath – any breath. But it was impossible.

The throat had been slit after all.

Tsuna stepped closer and kneeled down at the flailing body as he lifted the blade up for the next cut. He smiled cheerfully. It's been a while since he'd been able to do something like this. In the meantime, Reborn watched in the background, taking notes of how carefully Tsuna tore through the flesh and muscle.

* * *

" _Kyoko_!"

"Big brother?!" The orange-haired girl flinched out of surprise at the sight of her older brother. Hardly believing the sight, she slowly ran forward to wrap her arms around the older teen, bursting out into tears. "Big brother!" Kyoko buried her face into Ryohei's shoulder and tightened her grip around him. Hana ran to her side to offer support by placing a hand on her shoulder, immediately getting a deep hug in return. The poor girl cried vividly as all emotions that had been held back since the attack came pouring out, unable to control herself as tears ran down her face.

Tsuna and his little group stood towards the back of the room, letting them have their moment as they tried to sort out their emotions. The brunet rotated towards his guardians, who were looking at him expectantly. He sighed at those hopeful looks and shook his head with a small smile. "You two did well. Thank you."

At his words, the two guardians began to glow in accomplishment, glancing at each other in happiness. Hayato instantly gave a fist pump to himself and grinned brightly as he closed his eyes. For the both of them, they had done something to make their boss proud, something they had wanted to do for a while. Tsuna was almost tempted to roll his eyes at the sight of the two, but instead, peered down at Reborn who was resting in his arms and tilted his head to the side.

The baby followed the gaze and smirked, flicking the edge of his fedora upward. "You did well, too, you know," Tsuna blinked, tilting his head to the other side. "With what you did to Mochida, I don't normally recommend such methods, but I do agree with your intention. You saved someone, that's all that really matters."

The brunet shook his head gently. "I didn't really have any intention honestly…" His voice was soft, a small whisper. "I didn't really care. I just knew I had to do it. You would be upset if I didn't."

"Oh?" Reborn shifted around in the grasp to peer up the teen. "You are following my words of advice these days? Or are you trying to make me proud?"

"Neither," Those honey-colored eyes closed shut for a moment, drowning out the crying in the background. "I just didn't want you to get upset, especially about something I could have prevented. However, that doesn't mean I'll be becoming Vongola Decimo any time soon. I've already stated my case on that one, it won't happen."

"Now if only I can get you to agree on that subject, then I'll be truly happy."

Tsuna almost laughed at those words, opening his eyes to stare. "I don't believe there is such a thing as true happiness."

"Neither do I," Reborn smirked, shuffling deeper into the warm grasp. "But I do believe in searching for it and living happily with what you've already got."

The brunet paused at those words, taking in the meaning as he stared down towards the baby. Before long, he smiled lightly, tightening his hold on Reborn. "That's a good thought, that doesn't sound too bad," He glanced towards his two companions behind him, still trapped in their own worlds as they celebrated their accomplishment. With a quick glance behind, the siblings and Hana were still together in their little moment. "But for me, I know better. Before long, everyone here will be dead from the continuation of time. There's only so much happiness I can receive before having it taken away from me or I abandon it for the better."

"Tsuna…"

"No, don't say anything. I know it's bound to happen. I'm not really human and this mortal form will fade away in just a few years. Before long, everything will be gone."

Reborn didn't reply to that, he couldn't even form the words to speak on that subject. He hadn't expected it out of a simple conversation and since it had turned towards the worse, he didn't know how to respond. He peered down at Leon who was curled around his shoulder, not wanting to stare up into those honey-colored eyes. It was difficult to remember that Tsuna was much older than him, existing in a teenage body that was far unlike his normal one, and there would be a point where they would have to say goodbye. The hitman didn't want that, he didn't want to see Tsuna disappear.

Suddenly, he felt the brunet shift gently, the grasp loosening enough to have one arm come to grasp Reborn's tiny hand lightly. Tsuna didn't say anything, didn't do anything, but just stood there quietly as they listened to the background noises. Kyoko was finally beginning to calm down, her tears becoming less and she eventually pulled away from her friend and brother to look over the two. Her words were soft, almost inaudible, but it spoke of what had happened to her, at least before Tsuna had shown up. It was easy to see the rage that was slowly beginning to overtake their features, death being one of the few things they would like to inflict upon the attacker. However, it was obvious that Kyoko wasn't going to allow them to do such things.

"It's okay… I'm okay now," Kyoko muttered softly under her breath as she tried to control her emotions. She wiped her eyes gently with the edges of her clothes and smiled softly as she tried to cheer herself up. "Everything is alright."

Of course, no one believed her, not her family and friend. Hana stared at the idol in worry, wondering if maybe the incident had shaken her up more than she originally thought. Her brother, on the other hand, was raging angrily in the background, his eyes burning furiously as he thought about bringing Mochida to the verge of death for what he had done.

"Are you _sure_ you're okay?" Hana questioned with suspicion as the orange-haired teen slowly began to calm down before her eyes. Kyoko sniffed here and there, but nodded her head. She was safe and sound and that was all that really mattered, but the memories of what had happened would never leave her alone. Her arms and hands could still feel the warmth of Mochida's limbs against her, burning her skin horribly underneath. She wanted to scratch those places to rid the feeling, but resisted, knowing it wouldn't look right before everyone's eyes. Despite that, she could still remember the words he had spoken, smell that retched breath of his as he breathed on her, and the evil within his eyes. Hana continued to observe Kyoko, watching her apprehensively, and spoke in distrust. "I see…"

"Kyoko," Ryohei still looked like he was fuming despite hearing those words from Kyoko, wanting nothing more than to rush out of the room to find the bastard that could have harmed his sister. "Do you know where Mochida was last seen? I want to know! I want to extremely beat him up for what he did to you!"

"Big brother!" Kyoko cried out, rapidly shaking her head to disagree as she reached outwards to grasp her brother's arms. It was her only hope of keeping him from going out to do something stupid. "You can't go around picking fights like that! You'll get hurt!"

Hana quickly stepped in as she placed her hand on top of one of Kyoko's to draw her attention away. Her grip tightened around the small limb and managed to tug one hand off the older brother. "No, he's right. We need to find him so that we can send him to jail. The police will surely help us. This type of jerk needs to be put away for life."

"Although…" Tsuna decided to interject, his voice almost like a soft gust of wind whispering around the room. "I doubt you'll be seeing him ever again."

The three glanced towards the brunet as if they had finally taken notice of his presence. Takeshi and Hayato were there beside him, Reborn in his arms. They were simply standing there as if forgotten, all staring at Tsuna who was no doubt the leader of the group. Tsuna peered at the trio in boredom, like they weren't even interesting to talk to, and tilted his head to the side and back as his eyes narrowed just slightly.

"And what makes you say that?" Hana sneered with a glare. "Mochida can always come back and finish what he started even if he runs away to another country. We can't be certain that he won't come back! Even those that get sent to jail come back sometimes to haunt their previous victims. But at least when he's there, he'll be gone long enough for Kyoko to get her life back and maybe feel normal again."

"I highly doubt he'll be coming back," Tsuna huffed. "After all, the dead can't do much in this world once they're gone."

The group stared at him curiously, wondering what he had meant. They looked at each other before turning back to the others, not sure on how to reply. They didn't fully grasp the conversation, not yet anyway, and pulled away from each other to think on the subject. Hana was the first one the figure it out. She was the only one who had the brains to do so and as her hands shakily grasped onto Kyoko's shoulder tenderly, she muttered softly, "Wait… You don't mean he's already…"

The brunet snorted and tightened his hold on Reborn, glancing down at the baby. "He's _dead_. He can never touch nor harm anyone anymore. Kyoko, you should be happy about that. The man who could have tormented you for the rest of your life is gone and will never come back," Ignoring the shocked look the orange-haired girl held, he turned around as he strode towards the door with his companions following right behind and yet he continued to speak. He didn't look at the individuals in the center of the room, almost like he didn't even want to bother. "People always say that 'you should consider yourself lucky that you're still alive' or 'don't worry, they won't come back'. There are so many things they can sprout to cheer someone up, but they don't help. The damage is done, there's no reversing it. The best thing is to know that the person is dead, dead and _never_ coming back. He can't harm you, can't touch you, or do anything to you or anyone else." Tsuna paused just a foot away from the door for a moment to spin halfway around, just enough to let his eyes rest on the three individuals. "That's a good thing to know when facing nightmares once your eyes close to the rest of the world."

He opened the door before him and stepped out quietly, the others following right behind. They didn't want to say anything, not when the conversation was clearly over. It was simple nonsense to continue. The trio who remained behind in the Disciplinary Committee room simply stared, unsure on how to respond before returning their attention to Kyoko, but there was a lack of conviction as they spoke to her. Even Ryohei was hesitating on acting, his eyes glancing back towards the opened doorframe momentarily as if he desired to rush out and follow Tsuna for more questions. Still, neither Hana nor Ryohei left, remaining beside the one they wanted to protect the most. They tried to cater to her, trying to make sure that she was happy, but the words that Tsuna spoke rang true. Mochida would never hurt her or anyone else ever again.

Tsuna and his companions stepped down the hallway, the place completely void of people and noise, and passed a section where they spotted Hibari leaning against the wall. The committee leader didn't budge from his spot, his eyes closed as if he was sleeping, and almost looked like he was relaxing. Despite it being during class hours, the skylark remained in the same position.

The brunet glanced towards Hibari and nodded his head before continuing on. "They'll leave the room soon. Thank you for letting us borrow it."

Hibari peered at the brunet in return before turning away, eyes narrowed sharply as he went to make his rounds in the school. He had been unable to complete his business due to this little interruption. "Don't think I'll let you get away with something like that again. I don't appreciate students of Namimori dying."

Tsuna tilted his head back momentarily as he glanced towards the other. No emotion reflected in his eyes even as the light from the windows mirrored off the surface. "Try me." He disappeared behind the wall and wandered away, his friends still behind him. Glancing back to Hayato and Takeshi, he paused momentarily down the hallway, far away from Hibari's ears. He could tell that the two were waiting eagerly for his directions, something that would decide the rest of the day. Neither of them flinched or showed any emotion towards the death of Mochida, despite hearing about it and knowing somewhat of how Tsuna worked on his violent killings. The brunet hadn't completely expected them to be okay with his little deed, but he mentally shrugged his shoulders at the thought. He wouldn't bring it up if they were seemingly fine with the fact. "So…" He started, watching in slight amusement as the two guardians lighted up at the thought of a conversation. He almost laughed – almost. "Do you two want to skip school today and head out for something to eat? Or to just hang out? I don't really want to be here in school anymore."

Reborn glanced up at that in curiosity, interested in the sudden spark in Tsuna's exchange. The brunet wasn't known to openly ask for things like this. There was no doubt the two guardians were thinking the exact same thing. Both Hayato and Takeshi peered at each other before the latter spoke up with a questioning undertone, "What did you have in mind, Tsuna?"

"Not sure. Maybe we can get something to eat, I guess."

"How about my place then?" For a moment, Takeshi looked overly excited as he grinned from one ear to the other. "I can ask Pops to make sushi. I bet he'll like it, he always likes it when I bring you guys over after all."

Tsuna hummed gently as he thought about the idea, considering the option, before nodding. "Yeah, that sounds good. Let's go."


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'ed by Ankou13 and WhiteAngel128
> 
> Edited: 10/18/15

"I can't believe you did that to Mochida. I mean, I hated him, but not enough to actually want him dead."

"You wanted to know. Are you really surprised that I would do something that horrible considering my past?"

"Well, when you say it that way, no. I just wasn't expecting it."

"Then you'll continue to be surprised as I keep going."

* * *

"Hey, Tsuna," Takeshi spoke up as the group walked to school one week after the incident with Mochida. Hayato held a cigarette between his lips, letting out a small puff of smoke while Tsuna strode along in the middle of the two guardians. Reborn was in his usual spot in Tsuna's arms, comfortable in his resting place as he cuddled further into the grasp. The brunet peered up at his name being called, glancing curiously over towards his rain guardian. "Have you been hearing about the recent attacks in the area?"

"Attacks?" Hayato muttered, using his lips to tug the cigarette to the other side. He took a deep breath, raising two fingers to steady the stick, and puffed out a long stream of smoke in the opposite direction of everyone else.

"Yeah, the ones towards Namimori Middle's students. A lot of them have been sent to the hospital already for various injuries. It's got even Hibari all stirred up since no one can find the person who's been causing all the trouble. He's been patrolling the area with the rest of his team more often because of it. It's unusual to not see him or the disciplinary committee members around every corner these days." At the skylark's name, Tsuna blinked and tilted his head to the side, never spotting his movements as he walked to school. There was no doubt that Takeshi had gained the entire group's attention, everyone listening carefully to his words. It wasn't an unusual occurrence either, considering the content. "A lot of students are really scared right now since the attacks have been almost random. Many don't come to school these days. Haven't you noticed that there are fewer people in homeroom?"

Hayato 'tch'ed in annoyance from not catching the hints. He should have noticed earlier (though he hated everyone else and wanted to do with then). "And here I thought there was some sort of illness running amok."

"I doubt it, well, if the attacks are random that is," Tsuna muttered under his breath and closed his eyes for a moment to think deeper on the situation. He knew the real reason as for the attacks: Mukuro Rokudo. He was tempted to sigh at the thought of having reached this point of the year, but at the same time, didn't want others to become suspicious of him. Things were beginning to move along, slowly but surely. "I have a strong feeling that I know exactly what is happening."

"Really?" Takeshi tilted his head, leaning forward so that he could see Tsuna's face clearer. It was obvious that he was curious about the subject, believing that it must be connected to the mafia game they'd been playing for a while. It was instinct. "Planning on letting us know?"

Hayato looked like he was about to say something, but resisted, staring at both Takeshi and Tsuna as he waited for the answer. He wanted to defend his boss, yell that he didn't have to say anything he didn't want to. His mouth opened to speak, but he simply took a breath as he tried to calm himself down from snarling. For a moment, the brunet peered at him and gave a small smile in comfort before turning back to the rain guardian.

"Maybe later when I've confirmed a few things. Reborn will probably be the one to alert you of the situation, not me."

Reborn glanced upwards from his spot, still buried in Tsuna's warm grasp. It was apparent that he was questioning the response from the brunet, but didn't voice it, saving the message for later when they were alone. After all, Tsuna was more likely to respond when they were by themselves with no one around to listen in. Still, the attacks were suspicious and with Tsuna already knowing something and the way he had spoken about them, Reborn would have no choice but to investigate to make sure that everything checked out. Of course, he had a strong gut feeling that something related to the mafia would happen, he just knew it. Considering that Tsuna was the heir to Vongola, it wasn't unexpected, though a little early, for an attack since Vongola has been trying to keep the situation quiet from the outside world. Reborn tilted his fedora downwards, feeling Leon waddling around the edges to remain attached at the center, and closed his eyes. He would really have to check things out. Too bad Fong had left to head back to Hong Kong to make sure that the contractor for I-Pin's target would be taken care of as well to keep things quiet on her new living situation. If the storm Arcobaleno was still around, Reborn wouldn't hesitate to send him out to research, but some things just didn't work out the way he wanted them to.

Tsuna glanced down at the hitman and gave a small squeeze to reassure the other that he was well aware of the Arcobaleno's thoughts.

* * *

"Tsuna, you're back in the shower again?"

"Yeah, I like it. It's nice to just lie down and close your eyes. I feel like I can drift away like this. It's… peaceful."

"You'll catch a cold if you keep doing this."

"But then you'll take care of me, right?"

"I won't. It's entirely your fault for getting sick after all."

"If you got sick, I would take care of you. You really wouldn't do the same for me?"

There was a small silence. "Maybe…"

* * *

Two days after Takeshi had mentioned the attacks, Tsuna, with Reborn's company, had stopped walking down the road towards his house. Things were beginning to escalate as more and more people were being sent to the hospital, and the fear was bubbling up continuously as time went on. Hibari had already been sent out to dispel the attacks, disappearing into the distance. Everyone was hoping that this would be the end of it, but no one was ever sure. It had been a few hours already and there had been no return.

From the brunet's current spot, he could see Kyoko crying in the middle of the street just a few feet away. He blinked, tilting his head slightly in curiosity. The orange-haired girl sniffed as she rubbed her eyes, tears running down her cheeks like streams with no apparent end. She was alone, striding aimlessly down the street with no destination in mind as she walked back and forth between two sections. Her lips were moving, speaking something neither of them could hear nor read, and appeared quite frantic. It was clear that she was shaken up about something. What that was, he wasn't sure. Though, he did have a guess. Hana and her brother weren't anywhere nearby and Tsuna was tempted to sigh at the thought of talking to the idol of Namimori. He always found himself awkward around her, he couldn't help it.

Reborn shifted in the grasp as he peered up at the teen, wondering what the brunet would do next. When Tsuna simply stood there, he gave a hard poke at the abdomen to get his attention. "Are you going to ask her anything? She's crying, you know?"

The brunet didn't move at first. "I'm not really keen on it. Not when I already know what's going to happen." Still, after a few moments of Reborn's constant poking, he stepped forward, heading towards the idol of Namimori Middle School and stopped just behind her. He didn't speak, listening to her cry, before Reborn finally acted. The baby cleared his throat, gaining her attention almost immediately, knowing that Tsuna wouldn't say a single word towards her considering his personality.

Kyoko jumped at the sudden sound and spun around so fast that her skirt lifted up by the twist. Her underwear was just barely revealed, but the brunet kept his focus on the tear-stricken face, not interested in the whole underwear phase like the rest of the male population. "T-Tsuna…" Her words croaked and were slightly raspy. A single tear ran down her face in the meantime and she used the sleeves of her uniform to clear her eyes. Tsuna didn't speak, but reached down into one of Reborn's many jacket pockets to pull out a small handkerchief. The hitman huffed in annoyance, but allowed the brunet to do so, watching as his belonging got offered. In the meantime, Kyoko stared at the white sheet like she was surprised by the whole thing before muttering a small 'thanks' under her breath and proceeded to wipe her face clean. She then blew her nose. It took a few moments for her to calm down, but she did eventually and offered the handkerchief back to the brunet, who immediately refused. "Are you… going to ask why I'm crying?"

Tsuna shook his head silently. "No, I'm waiting for you to speak first."

"Oh…" Kyoko smiled lightly and took a deep breath in an effort to calm herself down enough to speak. Her fingers were still wrapped around the handkerchief. "Well, you've heard about the recent attacks, right?" Tsuna nodded, remembering the conversation with Takeshi and Hayato, even Reborn did. "Well, my brother… I just got the call about it." Kyoko shifted nervously as she tried to speak, not sure on how to go about this topic. She took another breath. "My brother became one of the victims. He's in the hospital right now."

"I see." Tsuna paused for a moment, letting Kyoko dwell on the subject. "Have you seen him yet?"

"No…" Kyoko trailed off. "I mean, I got the call about thirty minutes ago, but I'm scared of heading over. I don't want to see him injured like that."

The brunet closed his eyes for a moment as he shook his head before stepping around the orange-haired girl. "You'll have to head over eventually. Not going would be worse. He's alive, that's all that really matters."

"That's…" The idol paused as she took in those words, her mind going over it. "That's true." She turned around to face the brunet's direction. "Then will you come with me?"

Tsuna peered at the girl for a moment before nodding his head. He would have to head over eventually, that and Reborn would force him to go to further his connection with his future guardians. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his cell phone, a device he rarely used, and opened the cover to head to the text option. Tsuna typed in a quick message that needed to be sent to his two companions, knowing that this would change the future just slightly. Reborn watched with interest, questioning at the strangeness of the message.

" _Be careful. You'll be attacked soon so keep an eye out_. _Tomorrow morning I want everyone to meet me in front of my house. Be ready for a fight._ "

The message was sent out and Tsuna put his phone away, peering down at the baby in his arms. Kyoko simply watched the interactions between the two, not saying a single word, and smiled at the sight of them. Soon, Tsuna spoke up, "Reborn, if you want to find out what's going on, you'll have to investigate this matter on your own. It's not hard to figure out once you get the right information."

"Oh?" The hitman grumbled slightly at not being offered the stuff he needed, but wriggled from the grasp, jumping down onto the cement floor. He peered up at the brunet like he had just taken a challenge. "Fine then. Just don't get into trouble in the meantime."

"I won't. After visiting the hospital, I'll head straight home," Tsuna took a few steps, gaining some distance between them. "I think there's some mail already waiting for you there from Nono though."

At that, Reborn narrowed his eyes and rushed off, hopping from one fence to another. He quickly disappeared, vanishing behind the various houses in the neighborhood. The hitman didn't want to leave the brunet on his own but in this case, he would allow it. Once the baby was no longer there, Kyoko and Tsuna were left alone on the street.

Tsuna watched for a moment until the hitman was truly gone from sight before walking off with the idol. "Let's go."

"R-Right," Kyoko observed as the brunet took the lead, rushing to try and keep up. She stared at Tsuna's back before smiling to herself, the tears gone from her eyes. "Thanks."

"There's no need to thank me. Reborn wanted me to come with you. Now let's go."

"Right…"

* * *

"So how was the hospital visit?"

"Nothing interesting. Ryohei just went on about the attacker and how extreme he was to Kyoko. It was the typical stuff you would expect from someone like him."

"Well, it seems you were correct about the letter. I know who's behind the attacks, but I'm certain you already know as well."

"So you don't want to share the information with me?"

"Why bother when you already know."

"True."

* * *

"Hayato has been attacked."

Tsuna glanced up at the hitman, staring at the baby with a blank stare before turning back to his book. It had only been a few hours since his return from the hospital, night already setting with the bright sun gone. "I know." Reborn narrowed his eyes at that lack of response, opening his mouth to say something, but was interrupted when Tsuna continued, "And I also know he wasn't badly harmed nor poisoned since he was on guard. He was injured, but they were mere scratches. He'll recover through a night of good rest… well, if he's planning on taking that rest."

The hitman stepped forward, curious on the matter, with one hand on his waist as he looked over the brunet. Tsuna was completely calm, nothing wrong with him at all as he continued to read. He watched as his companion flipped the page of his current book, the honey-colored eyes speeding across the lines. "Then why didn't you do anything?"

Tsuna paused for a moment and looked up at the other curiously. "I gave him a warning, therefore he was more prepared for the setting. He knew there was going to be an attack either on him or Takeshi. Originally, he would be badly injured, but now he only has minor wounds," His mind went over the entire scenario, knowing exactly how it would have gone without the warning. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath to clear his head before looking back at the baby. "If he was going to be badly injured, I would have stepped in."

"Oh?" Reborn's face was trapped in the same expression, stopping just before he could touch Tsuna's leg. He held his gaze, never lifting it up. "So you would save him if something bad were to happen?"

"Of course."

The hitman shook his head and spun around in his spot, settling next to the warm body as he snuggled up. "I can't tell if you're lying or not, but considering how things have been going over these months, I believe I can trust you on that part," The brunet was obviously the hardest person to read, harder than Fong and Luce. They were some of the few he couldn't react to that easily. Tsuna gave a small hum to those words, observing the little hitman. "Then you must know that we need to plan what to do about our little problem tomorrow."

"I wouldn't worry about that. When I sent my text out earlier, I told them to arrive here in the morning prepared for battle." Tsuna went back to reading, drifting back into his own little world of fantasy. "As far as we both know, the group is called Kokuyo Gang. They're from the Kokuyo Middle School, or so they say, and the leader is Mukuro."

Reborn smirked, letting Leon crawl down his shoulder and onto his lap where he proceeded to pet his partner. He kept his gaze on the chameleon, disappointed that the lizard hadn't transformed into his cocoon state – his metamorphosis phase. Did it mean that they weren't going to move through a life-or-death situation and would ease through this like everything else? "You're better informed than I am, considering your abilities. Then you must know that he and his gang are a group of people who've escaped from Vendicare prison and that Nono has requested that you take care of them." Leon curled around the lap in content, closing his large eyes as he enjoyed the caresses. Tsuna nodded his head in agreement, already knowing about the circumstances. He knew everything from his old world and other's. "Are you prepared to fight?"

"Of course. I won't lose. Everyone will come back alive and well, if not injured."

The hitman pulled down his fedora, covering his eyes. "You'd better hold your words on that."

"I don't lie, Reborn. At least, I won't lie to you."

The hitman didn't move but there was a comforting smirk on his lips. His eyes were closed, slowly drifting off into sleep. "That's good to hear because I _will_ hold you to that."

"Please do."

* * *

"Reborn, I'm going to take a shower." Tsuna peered up at the clock before looking back at the hitman who was settled on his desk with a cup of coffee in his hands. The attack towards the Kokuyo gang would commence within ten hours and yet he didn't look like he cared a bit about his situation. He wasn't training like everyone else, worrying about tomorrow. Reborn found it strange, but at the same time, he didn't. He expected Tsuna to act like this, to not care about anything until something popped up. Sometime after dinner, he'd left to see how everyone was doing – to see how they were preparing for tomorrow's battle. Takeshi was practicing his sword moves with his father, a sharpness in his eyes that clearly stated 'I'm not going to lose', while Hayato was mixing up his bombs to make them more potent. Of course, he had invited Bianchi to come along, but hesitated at the last moment, wondering if she was really necessary. Everyone was further along in their forms than what he had originally planned. As the brunet stood up from his place on the floor, the immortal paused. He peered towards Reborn, who was reading some reports, before speaking, "Do you want to join me?"

Reborn blinked rapidly, snapping his head upward. "Join you? In the shower?"

"Yeah," Tsuna nodded his head in confirmation, "Do you?"

The hitman peered down at his reports before looking back up. It couldn't hurt and Tsuna _was_ offering after all. "Why not."

The brunet smiled softly at the agreement and reached over to pick the baby up, cradling him in his arms. He quickly made his way out of his room, avoiding the two children as they ran by his feet with grace. His ears picked up the sounds of Nana calling for both Lambo and I-pin, shaking his head at how happy his mother sounded at being able to take care of someone other than him. Slipping into the bathroom, he placed Reborn down onto the counter and went towards the bathtub, turning on the water. He glanced back at the hitman once more and nodded, closing the curtains behind.

"I expect you to bathe me." Reborn smirked, spinning around as he slipped out of his clothes. Within seconds, he had a small towel wrapped around his waist and was dangling his feet off the edge of the counter, watching the brunet curiously.

Tsuna blinked before beginning his own procedure. "Sure," He slowly stripped down, moving from one article of clothing to another. He was certain that Reborn was watching him carefully and was tempted to sigh in annoyance, but he resisted. As he finished, he pulled a towel around his waist, tying the ends to keep it up. "Reborn, please stop staring. It's quite unnerving." His honey-colored eyes snapped towards the hitman, watching as the other smirked arrogantly without a care.

"Can't help it. You're the one stripping in front of me." Reborn jumped off the edge and landed gracefully onto the floor. He gave another smirk before tottering towards the bathtub. "The water is ready."

"Yeah…" Tsuna had a flash of redness on his cheeks before it was gone the next, leaning over to pick up the baby. Steam was slipping out from the top of the curtains, the mirrors just beginning to fog up at the warmth. However, the tiles remained cold to his bare feet as he wandered about the room. With one hand on the baby, he pulled the curtains open with the other and felt a strong blast of warm air hit him in the face. He wiggled his nose at the heat, pushing back a sneeze, and continued on, stepping straight into the spray of water without even bothering to feel for the temperature.

It was hot, but not enough to burn, and he immediately turned around so his back would face the blast. Reborn was gently dropped at the edge of the tub, feeling the gentle spray of water from above that slipped around the edges of Tsuna's body. He blinked, his normally spiky hair falling downwards as it was flattened out from the weight of the water. Tsuna allowed himself to be doused before reaching for the shampoo bottle, squirting enough into the palm of his hand for Reborn's hair. As he sat down into the center of the tub, he began working his fingers into the black locks, massaging deeply into the scalp with various pressures. Interestingly, he watched as Reborn shivered, delighted by the sight of the other enjoying his touches.

"You're pretty good at this." The hitman leaned further into the hands, closing his eyes in content. Leon had been left on the counter, not wanting the chameleon to get wet. His back was facing the brunet, and he lifted his head up to prevent soap suds from falling into his eyes.

"Thanks." Tsuna almost paused at the complement, but resisted, continuing his work. He dug a little deeper, almost getting a moan in return, and chuckled softly.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you? Seeing me act this way." The hitman huffed, grumbling under his breath as he leaned further, opening one eye to peer up at the brunet.

"Obviously." Tsuna tilted his head slightly to the right just so he could see Reborn's expressions easier, getting a long spray of water to flood Reborn's body, washing the shampoo away. "You can return the favor when you return to your adult body."

At those words, Reborn froze, feeling the shampoo slide down his form in small streams. The moment everything was clear, he spun around to stare at the other in question. A flash of emotion appeared in his eyes, wondering about the words, but it was gone the next. He opened his mouth to speak before closing it right after. There was only silence and Tsuna had long since pulled away to give the hitman time to think. "Are you certain about that? Will I really… turn back?"

Tsuna simply kept his gaze on the other, knowing that Reborn was revealing a small part of himself at those words. It was clear that despite hearing about returning back to normal many times before, it was hard to settle into the truth of the matter. He nodded. "Of course. When I was hit by the ten-year bazooka, I saw the adult you enjoying some coffee. My future self did say that curses are meant to be broken after all."

The hitman eyed the brunet closely, trying to see if there were any hidden meanings, but there were none. "I see. Good. That's always great to know." He turned back around, relaxing slightly. "Thanks."

"It's fine. Now, let's continue, okay?"

"Sure, whatever you want." A smirk was apparent in that tone of voice, Reborn settling back into his usual self.


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a small note. This is where I start deviating from canon and please note that this idea was written before the actual canon came out with the Arcobaleno battle
> 
> Edited: 10/18/15

"So what happened next? You fought against Mukuro and his gang, right?"

"Yes and it wasn't that hard honestly."

* * *

The battle against Mukuro's companions hadn't been that difficult like others had expected. His own guardians were able to hold their own just fine, able to stand with every fighter on equal grounds along the way and come out victorious. Tsuna had simply watched in the background with Reborn resting in his arms, making sure that nothing horrible happened in-between, and in the end, he offered little to no help. His companions were able to fight their own battles like it was a matter between life and death (or perhaps pride from the way they would look at him after each win). In a way, he was pushing them forward to grow up and stand on their own two feet compared to depending on him to give them clues and guidance. He didn't want them leaning on him for helping their battles. He wanted, no, _needed_ them to be able to be independent for what the future might hold.

There were some injuries here and there along the pathway, but nothing life threatening and nothing that would slow them down. Finally, as they came to the inner part of the building where they knew the true Mukuro was hiding, Tsuna and Reborn went their own way. The brunet didn't want the rest of the group to follow him to where illusionist was residing, especially considering the teenager's abilities. His companions hadn't been all that keen on the idea, but they relented, leaving their boss to do things his own little way. Instead, they sought out Hibari, knowing that they needed to help the committee leader escape his confines from somewhere in the building as well as keep an eye out for any other intruders.

"Are you sure you don't want them to follow along?" Reborn asked, glancing up towards the teenager from his comfortable spot below. "They could offer backup if things go awry."

Tsuna simply shook his head. "No, I'll be fine on my own. I know Mukuro's abilities well enough." He was talking about his previous knowledge of the other worlds. Continuing his steps, he went straight towards the room he knew the other was hiding in. The door was closed shut and he didn't hesitate as he reached forward to grasp the handle. Pushing it down, he shoved it open with a loud creak and peered into the darkness of the room. It was a large area as he had expected with some sunlight peeking through the ripped curtains on one side, illuminating the surroundings slightly. A couch was settled in that general area with a person in the center, sitting comfortably with one arm propped at the top while the other rested on his lap. Tsuna's eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness with what little light was within and kept quiet as he examined Mukuro from his spot near the entrance. Reborn did the exact same and the two waited for the teenager to reply first, but the convict remained quiet with a smirk that almost glowed within the darkness, his teeth bright despite the sun being behind him.

"Mukuro…" Tsuna whispered as he stepped deeper into the room, his honey-colored eyes drifting across the setting calculatingly. They were alone and that suited him just fine. He didn't need anyone else interrupting just yet.

"Oya, oya, it appears that Vongola has some competent men," The other male chuckled, not showing just how unnerved he was by his group being so easily defeated, and remained sitting on the couch with his legs crossed. "I'm surprised you made it this far and so quickly. I had honestly expected some delays."

"Well, I have some outside knowledge that I took advantage of," Tsuna admitted willingly and stepped closer with a blank expression. He radiated an essence of calmness, unbothered by the creepy setting that Mukuro was trying to create with his honey-colored eyes focused solely on the human before him. Reborn remained in his arms, unmoving, and silently listened to the conversation as Leon crept around the edges of his fedora. "Just like you as well."

"Oh?" Mukuro stood up, his attention caught by the flow of this conversation. It was like a spark that flooded his body. As he stood up, a trident appeared in his right hand from a purple mist that formed around that area and he tapped the bottom of it against the floor. The sound echoed within the large room and he chuckled sinisterly as he tilted his head to the side, his bangs falling over his right eye. His smirk spoke cruelly of his intentions and yet Tsuna remained calm, unbothered as usual. "You must know something I don't. Or well… so it seems." His left hand outstretched as he made a motioned towards an invisible audience. "But why don't you clue everyone else in?"

Tsuna shrugged his shoulders awkwardly considering he was holding Reborn in his arms. He stepped into one spot, putting about three feet of distance between himself and Mukuro. "I doubt the information would do you any good. Not at this point anyway and with how you are currently, you won't put it to any good use." Leaning down, he placed Reborn onto the floor gently and watched momentarily as the hitman strolled to one side of the room to keep out of the way. The baby already knew he didn't really need to intervene in this fight. Straightening his form, Tsuna reached up to run a hand through his messy locks, only to have them spring back up to the normal, gravity-defying fashion. "By the way, I thought I should let you know that illusions won't work on me." He tapped the floor with his foot, showing the truth of what Mukuro had cast while he had been talking. The brunet could tell that the boards were shifting and moving under his feet but in his mind, he knew it wasn't true. With little effort, he dissipated the illusion without moving a muscle.

Mukuro's eyebrows narrowed at both the comment and the lack of his abilities working towards the so-called human. He didn't like being outdone nor being swatted to the side so easily. "You must be well informed then and gifted. I didn't know Vongola has such people within their ranks."

"You can think that if you want, but I doubt it'll make much sense if I were to explain the truth."

"Interesting. How very interesting. Not what I expected from the information I had gathered about you," Mukuro circled around the brunet cautiously, knowing better than to leave any opening to be taken advantage of. However, he didn't know that Tsuna didn't need an advantage to defeat him. "Though, I know better than to follow vague reports. Vongola doesn't really give great details and the rumors surrounding you are quite…vague. That and your father, Iemitsu, is quite good at blurting out sensitive information. It's almost like he wants you to fail."

Reborn flicked the edge of his fedora upward, staring straight at the convict. He knew exactly what Mukuro was talking about: there was an insider in Vongola who was finding out details for him, a traitor amidst. He didn't speak up to find out more about the leak, letting everything play out as it was meant to.

"What was really interesting was that Iemitsu didn't exactly have… _friendly_ words for you, his son," Mukuro continued on, twirling his trident absentmindedly in hand. "To think a father would say such terrible things about his son, his own flesh and blood."

Tsuna simply shrugged his shoulders, clearly not affected by the comments. "Not surprised, we've never really got along. Somehow, he got the belief that I'm not truly his son. That I've been replaced by someone else, but he can't do anything to me without hurting my mother. I also know that he's currently looking for a replacement for me, only agreeing in having me in the spot light to give him some time, and he'll find one to take my place very soon." Reborn narrowed his eyes at the mention, finding some truth in that statement. The previous Tsuna had died, he knew that, he had heard this Tsuna say so, and yet, everything that was happening would explain why Iemitsu had such an antipathy towards the brunet. However, to think that Iemitsu's hatred ran that deep, enough so to find another heir...

'Looks like the idiot has some intuition about the truth of Tsuna's identity,' Reborn reached up to pet Leon gently, keeping himself ready for any attack. 'This won't help the family situation in the future once the truth is out.'

"I know I'm not the best candidate as the boss of Vongola and I truly have no intention of taking over. I don't want to. It's _far_ too much of a bother," Tsuna huffed, raising a hand up to run it through his hair again. "You might have a better chance with your plans with the other candidate than with me."

"Or I could use you before they decide and make sure you stand out as the prime."

The brunet resisted rolling his eyes, finding the comment funny and ironic. There was little difference between this Mukuro and the others he had met in previous timelines, they all had the same ambition for power. Stepping forward, he raised a hand up to push his hair back once more but his long bangs simply fell back into his eyes. He already knew how this battle was going to go, but he needed to put on a show for both Reborn and Mukuro though he was tempted not to. Luckily for him, he didn't need to make the first move.

Mukuro was already on the attack, wanting to get the upper hand on him by striking first, but Tsuna simply dodged to the side. The illusionist sneered and attempted again, only to watch in anger as the shorter male skidded away easily. It was like a cat and mouse game except Mukuro didn't feel like the cat. It was like he was being played with, toyed with, and that didn't settle with him at all.

"Your skills are quite good if not lacking in certain areas," Tsuna commented off hand, jumping to one side as he dodged a strike from the trident. "You are making yourself far too easy to read."

Mukuro sneered angrily at the remark, finding it more of an insult. "Oh? You're better than I originally thought for someone without any previous training."

Tsuna shrugged his shoulders. "Everyone has their secrets though any information you got from Iemitsu was probably misguided and poor," He jumped to the edge once more to miss the blade that would have connected with his left shoulder. "Though, yours are quite obvious."

"You know nothing," Mukuro threw back. "I've gained plenty of powers from my visits in Hell. Shall I show you just how in-depth it can go?"

"Not far enough, that's for certain. You haven't even gotten that deep to learn the true horrors of the universe. The Hell you've been is just the upper layer of the Underworld along with its sub-levels, the first out of five. You've only scratched the surface, nothing more than that. Your abilities are nothing compared to those that dwell in the lowest levels."

Mukuro couldn't help but pause at that. "What…" He trailed off, not entirely understanding the meaning. "There's more than one layer? Impossible."

Tsuna shrugged his shoulders. "Believe what you want, but I'm telling the truth," He did something neither Reborn nor Mukuro expected, being honest about his identity. "You could say that I'm the proof. I rein among the Demonic Kings and Queens of Hell."

The illusionist froze, his multi-colored eyes staring at the being before him both in curiously and fear, not sure what to expect or believe. He didn't speak at first, examining the brunet carefully for any tricks or missteps. He would not be fooled by such simple words… and yet there was something keeping from him disregarding them. He couldn't quite figure out what was bothering him, but he pushed it down to focus on the task on hand. There were more important things to deal with first like his future plans with Vongola Decimo's body once he possesses it. Twirling his trident gently in his hands, he stepped forward. "Whatever you think you are, I think it's about time we end this little battle. I'd rather not get interrupted by outsiders."

Tsuna shrugged his shoulders, unbothered by the situation, which didn't uplift Mukuro's mood. "Sure, let's end this little skirmish. I'd rather not have this battle extend anymore than necessary."

The illusionist sneered, knowing he was being mocked horribly by the other and that only made his mood drop. This wasn't going along his plans at all. The 'Tsuna' before him was far too difficult to predict than the one he had read about. Clicking his tongue, he raced forward, hoping to end this battle with one final move, but he was sorely disappointed. Tsuna simply dodged to the side, wiggling his nose at the obvious techniques, and jumped back a few feet. As he did so, Mukuro dashed closer trying to stab him through the abdomen, but the brunet simply did a spin and snapped his hand down to break his left shoulder. A loud crack echoed in the silent room and it was enough to know that Tsuna had broken the teenager's bone with a single hit.

"Are we done yet?" The Sorcerer King chided, knowing that it would only help to further enrage the other and it worked as he expected. Mukuro came screaming towards him, weapon in hand with a dark purple mist surrounding the end, and yet the brunet simply dodged effortlessly once more.

Tsuna sighed heavily, growing bored of this fight despite the fact that it had only started moments ago. He wanted it to end already as there was no point now, he had better things to do than to continue on such pointlessness. He had only really extended it to give himself a better feel of the situation and of this Mukuro. However, he had gotten nothing out of it. The Mukuro of this world was the same as all the other ones and that left Tsuna feeling... disappointed.

He dodged another stab and twisted around, getting ready to neutralize his opponent. He already had enough of this nonsense and it was high time to end this. With a flick of his hand, he disarmed Mukuro and tossed the trident over towards his right, far beyond the illusionist's reach. Reborn eyed it momentarily as it came sliding towards his left before snapping his eyes back to the brunet, knowing Tsuna wouldn't just finish with that single move and indeed, Tsuna wasn't done. The brunet twisted his body against the indigo-haired teenager for a better position to attack and quickly kneed him in the abdomen _hard_ , effectively taking Mukuro's breath away with that one move. Reborn could hear him loudly gasp as the air was forced out of his lungs and watched as those multi-colored eyes widened in shock. The body folded against Tsuna's leg, bending from the force, and sent him sprawling backwards like a rocket with enough power to propel Mukuro skidding across the room. Reborn watched as the illusionist slammed onto his back, crashing brutally against the ground, enough so that some of the wooden boards underneath splintered. Tsuna reached up with his right hand to push a loose strand that had fallen into his eyes back and snorted at the disappointment from this fight. He had been hoping for a better outcome than this, but he should have known there wouldn't be that much of a difference.

With the amount of force he had placed into the kick, he doubted Mukuro would be getting up anytime soon. Tsuna relaxed slightly and stepped forward towards Reborn, leaning down to lift him back up into his arms.

"That was quite uneventful," Reborn admitted, hoping to have more of a battle than an instant kill. It had gone by too quickly for him to see anything new on Tsuna's side, but he should have expected that, too. Tsuna was _far_ too powerful to be defeated like that. "I was hoping that someone would cause you a little trouble."

"Highly unlikely," Tsuna huffed. "The outcome of this battle is far too obvious to be a challenge."

"Is that so?" The hitman peered up at the brunet, tilting his fedora back to get a better look. He stared into those caramel-colored eyes and huffed, settling back into his spot in Tsuna's arms. He had no intention of moving just yet, standing there for a few minutes, listening to the silence of the room, and simply enjoying each other's presence as they knew that this task was finally over. It hadn't even lasted that long, but that didn't really matter. However, it didn't take long before the moment was over as a presence came closer to their location.

"We have some visitors," Tsuna suddenly spoke, his eyes turning towards the entranceway where he could see a cold mist pulsing through. Dark figures came pushing through the door, cloaked in black and bandaged from the head down, though it wasn't possible to see the feet. It was like they were floating in midair but Tsuna and Reborn knew better. They were gliding, their feet walking across gracefully to hide their figures underneath. Black top hats rested on their heads, but there were variations between each one, helping in identifying each Vindice guard. "Though, it is pretty obvious that they would be coming for the escapees since you're the one that called for them."

Tsuna peered down at the hitman just as the Vindice guards sprang chains out from underneath their robes. The chains had a single collar attached at the end, all heading towards Mukuro's fallen form. The collar snapped around the neck, clasping tightly and with a single yank, Vindice had taken control of their prisoner, dragging his frail body across the ground towards them.

"Of course, our job is done. We'll let the mafia police handle the rest. They will be punished for their crimes and there's nothing we can do about it." Reborn stared a head, simply observing as the Vindice men pulled their prisoner towards the door. It was already clear to him that they had already grabbed the other members of the group, but he put it out of his mind, not bothered that the teenager before him would be placed in a dark prison.

Tsuna wiggled his nose and stepped forward, making a decision in the back of his mind. He hadn't really thought much on this idea, but he didn't think there was any harm. That and it would help in pushing this world forward.

"Wait," Tsuna's voice rang out, no hesitation within his eyes, well aware of Reborn's own on him. "Stop, don't take him just yet."

The beings wrapped in bandages stopped for a moment, staring at him through those white coverings for a moment. The two on the opposite side of the room could feel the covered eyes staring directly at him and finally one spoke up. "Do not interfere, Vongola. These men will be punished accordingly for their crimes."

However, the brunet didn't stop, he continued to move closer. All eyes were on him, even Mukuro, who had woken up a little while ago, all watching and listening to what Tsuna was trying to do. Even Reborn was quiet, but there was a flash of fear within those black orbs, tugging on the brunet's sleeve and even giving a hard pinch in hopes of preventing him from doing something completely and utterly stupid. "I want to make a deal with you."

"We do not make deals for criminals." The voice boomed in the large room.

Still, Tsuna persisted, not bothered by the mafia police. "Not even for information that you've been searching for?"

Now that made Vindice stop completely, the chains no longer rattling. Those bandaged faces turned to the brunet, their dark auras seeping out from their bodies as the ragged robes floated around them. However, it only took a second before they gathered themselves together. "We are searching for _nothing_. Do not interfere."

"Are you certain about that?" Tsuna kept moving and stopped when he was a few feet away, looking strong yet still emotionless in front of the group. Reborn was still in his arms and the Arcobaleno wisely stayed quiet. "Then call Bermuda, I'm sure he'll say _otherwise_."

There was a sudden switch in the air, everyone freezing to their spots. All eyes rested on the brunet, It was like he had spoken about something forbidden, something that should have never been spoken aloud.

"Bermuda…" Reborn muttered under his breath, not recognizing the name, but the Vindice guards obviously did. They shifted uneasily, keeping as still as possible as they knew that Tsuna was not done speaking just yet.

"I know exactly where the man you're searching for is hiding," Tsuna kept on, his expression never wavering despite all the attention now being on him. His hands were relaxed, making sure to keep steady for Reborn, and stepped with his foot out, protruding his right hip outward. "Are you willing for an exchange now?"

There was a pause in the air as a silence settled between the two groups. The Vindice guards were obviously trying to decide on what to do and eventually turned towards each other, whispering words that couldn't be heard or seen by lips movement. Minutes passed, but it felt like hours for Reborn as he feared for the worse. He couldn't believe that Tsuna would do something so stupid. Reborn paused. No, wait, he could actually. His mind automatically reflected back to previous incidents that had happened since he had met the brunet. Still, to think Tsuna knew something that even Vindice wanted. What exactly could it be about? And who was this person? Eventually, the group turned back towards them, their bodies twisting around in place. The grasp on their chains loosened lightly and one of them handed theirs over to one of their companions, floating forward towards the brunet. This one stopped in front of Tsuna, hidden eyes boring into the very being before him, and the robes flared out threateningly. "What will this agreement be on? And how do we know that this isn't a trick?"

'Tsuna!' Reborn's eyes couldn't help but widen at the revelation. He couldn't believe it, the Vindice were actually willing to go along with his supposed-student. But the question remained within Reborn's mind, just what exactly did Tsuna know that even the Vindice would stop to listen? The hitman grinded his teeth together in frustration as everything circled back to the brunet. Tsuna was just hiding far too much, he had known that at the very beginning, but now this was the clear cutter. Despite gaining things here and there from the immortal, there was still too much he didn't know about. 'I'll learn your secrets, all of them, Tsuna.'

"I will tell you the location of where he is currently hiding and where he will go afterwards once you corner him. What you do with the information is up to you. I cannot be held responsible if he were to escape during the attack. As for your end, the only thing I want is the release of the individuals that escaped your prison, especially the three boys. Surely this benefits more on your side, does it not?" The brunet continued, already knowing the answer of the men before they could voice it. He could feel the eagerness radiating off their bodies, it was too obvious even though no one else could tell. The air was far too cold to identify and without any facial expressions, it was mere impossible. "But first thing first, I need to borrow one of your chains. I don't know if he can listen through the Arcobaleno items, but it's not bad to be careful."

The Vindice that was closest to him remained still for a moment before finally moving. As he did so, he reached into his robe and pulled out a long chain with a slight discoloration on it that had probably been wrapped around something else previously. Edges of the chain was rusted from its constant use and it was clear there had been a lack of sunlight on the item it had been holding. Tsuna placed Reborn onto the ground so that he could reach forward to take it, holding it gently in his hands before turning around to face Reborn. The hitman took a step back in surprise, not expecting his so-called student to come towards _him_ of all people with such a thing.

"What are you doing?" The baby asked in question, tilting his fedora downward for a moment to cover his eyes. He was hesitating, he didn't know what that chain was meant to do. Was he, perhaps, in the way?

"I'm sealing your pacifier temporarily." Tsuna spoke softly, kneeling down to get to Reborn's level. Not waiting for an answer, he reached forward to grasp the yellow pacifier carefully, wrapping the chains around it to ensure it would hold. The hitman didn't move, letting the other do what needed to be done. As much as he wanted to question why his pacifier needed to be chained, he was more interested in the information that Tsuna seemed to have for the Vindice. However, he was going to find out in the end, one way or another.

"You will tell me what's going on." Reborn's voice cut through, laced with anger.

"Eventually, or perhaps now if you'd take the time to listen to me," When the brunet finished wrapping up the pacifier, he lifted up the baby back into his arms, and stepped closer toward the Vindice. "Now then, I'll take the initiative and start first. Listen closely, I won't repeat this again. Checker Face," Tsuna ignored the instant tension in the air, especially from the one in his arms, whose eyes were almost glaring in shock. "Has been hiding in the Misterioso famiglia's main base for the past two generations. He's been hiding in the lower laboratories in order to keep an eye on all events of the world. However, most of the men that are stationed there work for him so I suggest moving in two groups, one to go after Checker Face directly and the other to kill off his men to keep his supporters down. Even if you were to fail, it'll put a large dent on his division."

His voice cut through the air, everyone listening deeply and the Vindice, all three, had shifted even closer.

"If he escapes, he will head to a secondary location, which is considered his emergency location just in case he's found in the other one. The layout is different though. He'll actually be at the top floor of the Imbroglione famiglia base. All members there will be his allies so you're welcome to attack them too. Killing them off lessens his manpower regardless," Tsuna's voice went on strong, never wavering despite hitting the darker areas. "If you manage to fail once more and he escapes, I'm afraid I would have to manually search him out to find his next location. However, that will be another bargain besides the one we currently have in the process right now."

The Vindice that was close to Tsuna drifted back to his companions and turned to each other, speaking in words no one would hear once more. Tsuna and Reborn waited patiently for their response, the brunet glancing towards Mukuro on the ground with a small smirk. He lifted up on finger to his lips, making a 'shh' sound to help keep the illusionist quiet. When the group seemed to settle into a clear position, one turned back to them, the leader by the way the other two drifted back. "We will see through this deal. If what you say is to be true then we will return these prisoners to you. For now, we will take them with us."

Tsuna turned to look at the group momentarily before nodding his head. "Alright then, but you will let me know whether or not it goes through, yes?"

"Of course. We will send a representative with the prisoners if everything connects. Now then, we shall take our leave. Return the chain back to us."

Tsuna reached down, pulling the item off of Reborn's pacifier, and placed it into the waiting hand. He watched as the group left with Mukuro dragged behind them, vanishing into a dark portal the men were known for. The air was silent, tense, and Tsuna began moving, settling down onto the ground. "You have some men on their way to help recover us, yes?"

"That's right."

"Cancel them. They aren't needed. No one was truly hurt." Tsuna settled onto the floor, holding Reborn close to him, and looked around the room to see if they were really alone. With a huff, he closed his eyes and peered up towards the ceiling. He could sense everyone else within the grounds, slowly moving towards the entrance of this building. They were alright, he knew that, and so he waited for a little while longer before he needed to get up to meet with them. This would also give him some alone time with the hitman. Reborn twisted around in the grasp, looking up into those dull brown eyes, and seemed to wiggle his nose.

"Talk." It was a simple demand, but they both knew it stated more.

"Not yet. I will say it after the gang is free. I don't want to ruin the opportunity at this moment. It will not benefit either side and I can't take any risks at this point if what I want is to happen."

"Tsuna," Reborn stated, sighing at knowing he wouldn't be getting anything. Not right now at this time. He would have to make a bigger push in getting Tsuna to reveal more of his cards. "You're hiding way too much."

"You don't even know the half of it."

* * *

"Tsuna!"

The brunet stopped, glancing to the side where he could see his friends running up towards him. He sighed and spun around, letting the two know that he had heard them clearly. Hibari was trailing behind, not really getting up close with his arms folded across his chest. He was definitely ruffled up with the way he was carrying himself and how shredded his clothes were. Dried blood hid underneath them and black and blue bruises peeked through the edges. It was easy to tell that Hibari had to be suffering from two to four bruised ribs, if not possible broken bones, and despite that, he refused to ask for help. The skylark continued on down the path, momentarily throwing a glance towards Tsuna before moving on, probably heading back to the school to check up on things where he would be sent to the hospital by one of the committee members.

Takeshi stopped in front of the brunet, his eyes looking over his friend carefully to see if there was any cuts or bruises. However, there was none. "You alright, Tsuna?"

"Of course," If anything, Tsuna looked like nothing had really happened to him. "I wasn't harmed."

"That's good to hear." The swordsman smiled, Hayato nodding his head to agree.

"Everyone did a good job, it's all over for now," Tsuna commented as he glance over the two then towards the gates of the abandoned amusement park where Hibari was making his way out. "However, don't think that this will be the last time something like this will happen. This is the Mafia after all."

The group was quiet as they listened, glancing towards each other then back towards their leader. They didn't answer, unsure on how to respond to such a thing.

"Now, head home and get some rest. You both deserve it after today," The brunet huffed, slipping away as he stepped towards the exit, wanting to head home to get some sleep. He was tired. "I shouldn't expect any of you at school tomorrow. Sleep in. I doubt Hibari will be coming after you once he gets admitted into the hospital later today."

"Alright, Tsuna."

"Sure, no problem."

Tsuna nodded to confirm he had heard before taking his first step towards the exit, Reborn still in his hands. Silently sighing, he peered up into the evening sky. He was running out of time already. Things were starting to pick up the pace in this timeline. It would only be a month or two before Varia came along and though he was ready for what followed, he knew everyone else wasn't.

Well, it doesn't matter all that much. The start of Varia's appearance would be the start of his own end.

* * *

"And what happened when Varia came to town?"

"I was killed."


	34. Interlude 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd
> 
> Edited: 10/18/15

Drip.

Drip.

Tsuna blinked questionably, his peaceful state disturbed by sudden distant sounds of fluids dropping down in the distance. His caramel-colored eyes peered ahead towards the general location, curious as to where it was coming from. This place hadn't developed long enough to gain access to running water, still in its primitive stages of growth. It was just a useless village, nothing more than that, and one that didn't matter to this dimension.

Momentarily pushing his distraction aside, he peered down at his hands, stained deep with blood, and smiled in content. It wasn't his blood. No, it was his _victims,_ the villagers he had slaughtered ruthlessly. He could see large blobs of blood dripping from his fingers, pooling into the already gathered puddle under his feet. One shift and he could already observe a wave moving at the force and chuckled in delight. It was times like these that he could lose himself in the battle, in the blood lust, and just freely kill without a single care.

With a little bit of magic, he sent a large wave of fire around his surroundings, coxing the flames to build up and burn any remaining humans that were hiding within. Almost everyone was dead... all except one. It drew him back to what had drawn his attention previously. Tsuna raised his head up, sensing the last living being within this location, and rotated his body towards the area once more before he had been sidetracked. He smiled softly to himself and took the first step, ignoring the destruction and death he had caused around him. No one here was worth sparing, not a single one.

As he came upon the last surviving human in the distance, he examined the being carefully as he awaited for any sudden movements to run. He wasn't going to allow anyone to escape alive, none. As he got closer, he made out the figure to be nothing more than a child, perhaps around eight or nine in age. As his shoes crushed against the crumbled buildings and splashed in the puddles of blood, he watched as the kid snapped her head up towards him in fright.

Tsuna peered at the crying child, surveying her as he stepped closer. From his position, he watched as she clung desperately to her precious doll, probably made by one of the corpses beside her, with large brown eyes filled to the brim with tears. The white of her eyes were reddened from her crying and she whimpered fearfully at his approaching figure. Her cheeks were stained with sweat, soot, and tears and she jumped momentarily when one of the buildings collapsed close by. Clusters of dark red dyed the bottom ends of her garbs and legs, instantly telling him that she had been kneeing in the blood of her fallen kin. It was too clear, too obvious. He smiled and stopped before the child.

"Are you scared?"

His voice was soft, almost barely above a whisper in the raging fire, but the child had heard him clearly. She didn't speak, whimpering once more, and scooted back to get away from her impending doom.

" _You should be_."

Raising his foot up, he smirked and watched in delight as those large eyes widened in terror. He slammed his shoe down onto her head with enough force from his unnatural strength to crush her skull instantaneously. Tsuna listened as the cranium exploded under his foot, watching as cerebral fluid, blood, and tissues come splattering out. It didn't bother him that his clothes has been strained in the process.

"After all, you'll be joining everyone else in this village."

* * *

Within two hundred years of gaining his title, it quickly spread among the residents of Hell of just how viciously cold he was towards his enemies. Assassins stopped coming, already knowing what awaited them, and questionable individuals quickly left him be in fear of retaliation. Tsuna left none of his prisoners or annoying visitors alive, he showed no mercy, he showed no hesitance. Some of those that came after him found themselves tormented till the day Tsuna finished them off, letting them beg for a quick release. A few of the younger Kings and Queens attempted to overthrow him since he was new but quickly learned when Tsuna destroyed them that he wasn't someone to simply mess with out of mere jealousy. He continued to rise in power until he was in the top twenty range of strength among the Demonic King and Queens of Hell and remained there once the fighters above posed more of a challenge. Tsuna didn't mind being in his little spot, unbothered by those above and below, and that suited him just fine.

* * *

"You always like to wear white."

Tsuna glanced up curiously from his book, settled deep within his own personal library in his castle. This part of the Underworld, the one he ended up splitting with Hecate since they were both magic users, belonged to him and him only. He didn't have any subjects to rule over so he kept mostly to himself but that, however, never stopped people from visiting him once they got over their fear. Not that he minded now though, it got boring as the years went by without any hint of conversations. Currently, he was settled against the ledge of a window, letting the unnatural light of the outside world illuminate the room. Bright orbs of a clear yellow was scattered among the interiors, encased in glass to protect it from going out. It was his own powers that kept everything going despite the wiring the glasses were connected to.

His honey-colored eyes peered over towards his uninvited guest and huffed, "Couldn't even give the decency to knock, Higashi? That's unusual even for you."

Higashi, "King of Water", remained silent. He stood only two feet away from the Sorcerer King, appearing regal in appearance and attitude. Dressed in a button down white shirt and black pants with matching shoes, he wore a light blue scarf around his neck that came down the front almost like a tie. His long dark blue cape flowed below his knees and dragged over his shoulders so that it would hide his arms if needed. However, the cane he used as a weapon was out, making the cape fold around his right arm midway. Long blond hair fell past his shoulders to his mid-back and it was like it had been positioned in a way to assemble him as an imposing figure. Higashi's sapphire-colored eyes examined the book in Tsuna's hands before shifting forward. His leathered shoes clicked against the tiled floor just as the cane came down and closed his eyes with a sigh. "There's no point in doing such trivial things. You wouldn't have bothered if I hadn't come in personally and take your attention myself."

Tsuna titled his head, a few of his bangs sliding over his forehead, and chuckled softly in amusement. It was rare to see the other frustrated considering Higashi's normally stern expressions. "You're right. I wouldn't have. I don't get guests often so I don't bother listening." He peered down at his book, closing it shut, and placed it onto the ledge beside him. "I believe you were asking something? What was it?"

Higashi remained quiet, his expression never so much as twitching as he examined the obviously younger male despite looking in his early twenties, he himself in his late twenties. He remained still, like a statue, before finally answering. "Why do you always wear white? You are the only King that does. Everyone else wears something to their element like Viel with black and Ceslestia and myself with blues."

Tsuna raised an eyebrow at the question and peered down at himself curiously. His clothes did mostly consist of white except for his inner black long sleeve shirt, half of which was covered by the vest. There was also the inner of his cape which was red and his black belts and shoes. Everything else was white and he couldn't help but note that it did help make him stand out among the Demonic Kings and Queens of Hell since they tended to wear darker colors. "Ah, that's a good question but the answer should be quite obvious if you've ever fought beside me." He leaned back against the side of the window. "You should ask Minami or even Sephera for that answer... or perhaps join me in battle next time?"

Higashi hummed gently to himself, not bothered about the delay in his answer. For him, Minami, "King of Fire", would be simple to interrogate on the subject matter since they're partners. However, as for Sephera, "Queen of Ice", she would be harder to bring up such an issue. Still, he was curious about Tsuna's fighting style. "Perhaps I shall do the later. It's always better to see such things with my own two eyes than through word of mouth. Things tend to get muddled along the way."

"Glad to hear that. If I catch wind of any upcoming battles, I'll give you a call." The right side of Tsuna's lips twitched upwards and leaped off the ledge to stand up. "By the way, are you in any hurry to get somewhere else?"

"I have no appointments at this time."

"Then I'll start dinner for us. Come." Tsuna strode past Higashi, heading towards the front entrance of the library. The King of Water simply followed behind, unbothered by the order.

* * *

'The reason as to why I wear white is so that I can watch myself be dyed in the color of blood. Nothing satisfies me more than that.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, short chapter but someone asked me to give a little more insight into Tsuna so this is it. I placed it as a separate chapter instead of adding it to the next one mainly because they wouldn't fit together at all.
> 
> Currently trying to focus at a few stories at a time so that I can finish them up faster. Right now, its 'The Unexplainable', 'The Past and Future' series, and 'Revolution'.


	35. plus Interlude 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> N/A: Just a small note. This is where I start deviating from canon and please note that this idea was written before the actual canon came out with the Arcobaleno battle.
> 
> Beta'd by control of chaos
> 
> Edited: 10/18/15

Checker Face was _not_ happy, no, that was the understatement of the season with how things were going. He was absolutely furious. He hadn't expected Vindice, of all people, to come crashing through the front doors of the Misterioso famiglia, his personal hideout in order to watch the rest of the world, and start killing everyone inside. He definitely hadn't expected Bermuda himself to come right after him either, breaking down the doors to the hidden room he had been using for generations within the main mansion and watching as those that had served him for years were slaughtered before his very eyes. It was ridiculous, he had been careful, made sure that no one knew where he was at and where only certain members of the Misterioso famiglia knew about his existence and his underground base.

Just how the hell had he been found and so easily too? It didn't matter right now, he had managed to dodge the attacks and rushed off to his second location to hide once more. He couldn't allow too many people see him after all. However, an hour after he had arrived, the windows and doors broke down again, Vindice rushing in for a second time. He didn't manage to get away unscratched from this attack, a chain cutting across his abdomen when he hesitated for a split second. He sneered angrily, reaching up with his right hand to put pressure against the bleeding wound and could feel blood oozing out from around his fingers. His eyes bored into the group before him, the mask covering up most of his expression, but the dark aura surrounding him made it clear he was displeased.

"Looks like we've found you, Checker Face." A tiny voice spoke among the group, a baby appearing between the men. Though the bandages were hiding everything underneath, everyone knew he was smirking evilly, ostensibly happy at finding this cursed man that had cause their plight for hundreds of years. Bermuda floated towards one of Vindice, sitting on top of the men's shoulder as he stared down at their shared enemy. "We've come to extract our revenge. You will pay for what you've done to us."

Checker Face growled momentarily, examining the men in front with narrowed eyes behind his mask, and then laughed, stepping backwards. He could hear the screaming of his men below as he had been resting on the top floor this time and fleetingly sneered in loathing for what Vindice had done. "Damn you, Bermuda."

"I won't let you escape this time. I _will_ kill you."

The man just continued to laugh, clearly amused by the declaration. "Perhaps another time. For now, I think escaping from you would be best." Creating some smoke to cover his escape from one of the devices hidden within his coat, he jumped out of the broken window directly behind him and plummeted to the earth below. The fluttering smoke alerted Vindice of Checker Face's plans even before it cleared.

Bermuda recovered first and jumped after him, sending out chains at the falling man, desperation clear within his voice. "I won't let you escape!"

* * *

Tsuna suddenly lifted his head up from his book and peered at the clock on the wall with a blank gaze. Reborn glanced up curiously from his own (obviously borrowed from Tsuna) and observed the brunet carefully for anything suspicious. It had been two weeks since they had fought against Mukuro and his gang and things had gotten quiet pretty fast. Everyone had fallen back into their regular routines and it was almost like the incident had never happened, unspoken among the group.

The only thing that had really changed was Hibari. The moment he escaped the hospital, he chased down Tsuna and demanded a spar upon hearing that the brunet had been the one to defeat Mukuro, a feat Hibari had failed to complete. However, no battle occurred. Tsuna simply used magic to prevent Hibari from getting too close, constantly distracting him with other things or getting inconveniences in another. It was the easiest way to deflect him off besides battling him head on. Then, when Hibari backed off temporarily, he targeted Takeshi and Hayato instead to extract his revenge. Tsuna didn't mind, letting the three duke it out both on and off school grounds, believing that it would give the three some good experience. He simply continued to class or skipped home during the fights as no one was paying any attention to him any longer. He didn't even bother to heal the wounds the teenagers suffered, letting them learn from their mistakes.

Reborn continued to stare at the brunet curiously from the moment he jumped, wondering what had gotten his attention so suddenly. "What is it, Tsuna?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow curiously while placing his book beside him.

"Someone is coming." Standing up from his spot, he tucked his book away after marking the page and stepped out the bedroom door just as the doorbell rang. Reborn blinked inquisitively and hopped up to follow along, wondering who exactly it could be that would catch Tsuna's interest so readily. He hadn't been expecting anyone to show up today after all. Everyone else he knew would either let themselves in or climb through the window and if it was enough to make Tsuna get up, it must be important.

As he stopped at the top of the stairs, the baby observed as Tsuna reached for the door, just as the doorbell rang once more. The brunet didn't show a single twitch of an expression, giving that usual blank gaze as he unlocked it, opening it up to let the other person in. As it spun open, Reborn stared. He knew that person. He knew that person far too well. The Arcobaleno jumped down the rest of the stairs and landed beside Tsuna, his dark eyes never leaving the being before him. He bit down on his bottom lip momentarily as he took in the situation. "You're Basil, aren't you."

The strawberry blond, standing before them, weakly nodded his head and let out a relieved sigh as he straightened his form. His black suit was ruined, shredded in places by what looked like a blade. He was limping to one side, cradling his left arm as small droplets of blood came dripping down the fingertips. One eye was closed shut with a line of blood trailing from somewhere in the hair line, and dirt decorated everything on him. His hair was tussled, breathing ragged as he tried to catch it, and Basil winced when he took a step forward, gnawing down on his bottom lip to contain the groan that followed. All the evidence before Reborn pointed to the teenager being attacked on the way to the Sawada residence, but by who, he wasn't entirely sure. There were many in the Vongola that used a blade but it would simply be easier to just ask the question. However, Basil spoke first, "Mister Reborn, Master Iemitsu sent me!"

Reborn had just taken a step forward to question the strawberry blond when Basil collapsed onto the floor onto one knee. Tsuna didn't budge from his spot, his eyes watching the scene carefully. Basil was still awake but it was clear that the pain was starting to become overbearing. "What happened?" The Arcobaleno's voice was calm, still calculating the damage done to the teenager's body, and trying to understand why the other had decided to appear now of all times.

Basil didn't answer the question but instead used his good arm to slam it into the cement, creating a small crack. A small splatter of blood from the knuckles remained behind when he lifted it up momentarily. "I have failed Vongola!" He did it again, not caring if he broke his hand or not. "I had receiv'd an important mission from mine Master to deliv'r the Vongola rings to thee, Sawada-dono! But! But, Squallo of the Varia attack'd me along the way and stole the box from me. I fought back bravely but..." He grinded his teeth together in frustration and turned away from the two before him, unable to look at their expressions.

Reborn blinked once more before pulling his fedora down to cover his eyes, clearing knowing what this meant. He hid the sneer that was creeping its way onto his lips. The battle between the Vongola Decimo candidates would begin soon and they had already lost an important piece to their victory. This isn't a very good starting position.

Tsuna kept quiet at first, unaffected by the declaration, and then huffed, turning his body slightly to the side as if peering somewhere else. "It's fine. I didn't want them anyway."

Reborn twitched at the ease of the announcement, knowing he should have expected that considering how long Tsuna had been denying his heritage. Basil, however, didn't take it lightly and cried out desperately, appearing lost on what exactly to do. "But Sawada-dono! Thou doth not understand! Those rings art important! They decide who will be taking ov'r Vongola as Decimo!"

The brunet just shrugged. "I don't want to be Vongola Decimo anyway," Tsuna glanced up towards the front of the house as classic black car arrived, pulling to a stop. Reborn noticed it as well, raising an eyebrow up as he recognized the license plate that could only belong to someone in the mafia. A familiar man stepped out, the blond hair shining in the evening sun. "It doesn't really matter that you lost. Dino has the real ones. You only had the fakes because Iemitsu knew you would fail or be attacked. H needed to secure a more definite route to ensure their arrival to me. You were merely bait for the Varia."

"H-huh?" Basil spun around to stare at Dino, who was walking towards the trio with a bright smile with one hand waving cheerfully. Reborn flicked his fedora, forcing Leon to shift at the top, and snorted at Tsuna's on-the-spot statement but didn't bother diving further into how the brunet had known this information. He wouldn't get an accurate answer anyway. "Dino-dono!"

The blond blinked curiously before breaking out into another smile, his men piling around the front as they guarded the entrance from intruders. "Looks like everyone is here. That's good to see." His blue eyes rotated towards the brunet in the back, slowly digging into his inside jacket pocket to tug out the obvious box. "Well, I have something to give to you, Tsuna."

"We know." Reborn huffed, folding his arms. "The real Vongola rings, right."

Dino tripped up, not expecting the hitman to figure out the real plan and so quickly as very few had even been told about the tightly guarded arrangement. He caught himself before falling forward and reached upward with his free hand to rub the back of his head. He smiled awkwardly, knowing he had been outdone once more by his ex-tutor. He should have expected it by now considering who Reborn is. "O-oh! So you already know."

"Obviously. However, Tsuna was the one to figure it out first." The hitman pointed towards the still quiet brunet, who continued to stand there like a statue and listen to the present conversations. He knew the reason as to why Tsuna knew everything but had no plans on admitting anything to either of the two idiots before him.

"Oh! That's good to hear!" Dino grinned in amusement just as he pulled out the box of rings. He opened them up to reveal the contents inside. "Sadly, these are only half of the rings so in order to get the official set, you'll have to battle the Varia, who currently have the other half. If you don't already know, Varia is an assassination group led by Xanxus, Vongola Nono's youngest son. They're a highly skilled group made to handle some of the most difficult assassination missions."

Tsuna peered at the rings before him once then glanced down at Reborn. He stared at the baby for a few seconds before bringing his attention back to the two blonds in front of him. He huffed, "My answer is still no. It's not going to happen. I won't be fighting the Varia and I won't become Vongola Decimo."

Basil blinked again, confused at first as he completely forgot his injuries, then turning to panic. "W-What? But Sawada-dono hath been chosen to become Vongola Decimo! Master said so!"

"Well, I'm not interested. I won't become Vongola Decimo and Iemitsu lied to you, which isn't a surprise." Tsuna absently shoved the box away from him when Dino edged them closer. He stepped around the group, fully intending on walking away. He didn't want to deal with this as he already knew it would be nothing but trouble. That and he knew Iemitsu's true plans in the background. "Has Iemitsu even told you anything about the new heir that's appeared over in Italy?"

"Eh?" Basil looked surprised at the sudden information, even Dino's eyes widened. It was evident from their reactions that they hadn't known at all. Reborn, however, hid his own under a quick tilt of his fedora but the glint in them was too obvious. "But Master told me that he chose thou so it has to be thou. Yeare Master's son!"

"Blood means nothing." Tsuna snorted, knowing Iemitsu would never tell anyone his true plans. He was going to be replaced, one way or another, and it wasn't going to be by Xanxus. It was going to be someone no one expected except him, who knew about the future and the implications that would be brought by this said person. It would not be long before he had to make his own move. In all honesty, he just wanted everything to be done and over with as soon as possible. "I suggest calling your so-called boss and getting things straightened out before coming to talk to me again. If possible, head straight back to him. Iemitsu has no intention on crowning me, never has. He's simply keeping up appearances until the replacement is ready, who is already making his move with the release of the information regarding the rings. That was how Iemitsu knew you would fail."

With that, Tsuna stepped away from the three males and wandered out the front yard of his house, avoiding Dino's men that were standing out there. They glanced at him momentarily but didn't attempt to stop him. Behind him, Tsuna ignored the surprised states of the people left behind and disappeared down the walkway, routing himself towards the more central part of Namimori where all the shops and offices were located. It would be easier to disappear into the crowd unnoticed and be left alone by the rest of the world, even if it was just momentarily.

Reborn peered up at the two blond idiots that were frozen to the ground underneath them before sighing heavily. He couldn't exactly leave the two morons out here alone, not with their horrible track records. With a quick remark, he bundled them into the house violently with a few well-aimed kicks to the head where Nana's smiling face greeted them. The hitman was tempted to go after the brunet but decided to give him some space for the time being as he could always go after him at a later time. After all, he was certain Tsuna could take care of himself while he was away for a few hours as he tormented the two blonds for entertainment. They were both lacking severely in their training and it was time for Reborn to fix that.

* * *

Tsuna didn't exactly have a place in mind to visit or head to once he reached the main part of the town, he simply wanted to get away from Reborn, Basil, and Dino and their continued pressure to make him Vongola Decimo when he already knew it wasn't going to happen. He didn't hold anything against them or their attempts in trying, but it was easier to slip away than to continue arguing over the same matter constantly, knowing they had no intention of ever listening to him. They could all huddle in the house with Nana while they planned their next course of actions.

As he wandered down the streets aimlessly, hands buried in his pockets, he huffed. Closing his eyes for a moment, he edged towards the more popular streets to blend in with his surroundings. He didn't want to attract any sort of attention at this time but as an hour passed by with nothing more but endless wandering, the streets became crowded as the sun set in the distance and those coming off work began to flood in. Tsuna didn't enjoy being pushed around by those speeding by to get home and decided to slip towards the river that cut through Namimori. He settled at the edge of the water, in the grass, hidden from those on the street and any curious eyes that would question his presence. The sun was settling behind him, casting a shadow before him that stretched all the way to the surface of the water. The heat of the sun didn't bother him and the gentle wind coaxed him to relax.

Settling on the grass patches, he peered down at his hands for a moment, flexing them slowly. Tsuna smiled sadly at something only he knew. He didn't have much longer now in this body...

"Omnivore."

Tsuna didn't even look up, recognizing the voice and phase immediately. "Hibari." He placed his hands down beside him and carefully leaned back to see the Disciplinary Committee leader standing on the sidewalk, the wind blowing the ends of his jacket. The raven was dressed in his usual uniform and had his arms crossed against his chest, revealing the weapons attached against his belt. They remained quiet at first, Hibari observing the individual before him while Tsuna rotated back towards the water, studying the way the sun shone on the reflective wavy surface.

"Where are the baby and the crowding herbivores?" The cloud guardian stepped closer just as the wind blew roughly, rustling their clothes and hair with its violent breeze. His footsteps were quiet despite crunching against the grass below, the area void of people and the wind blocking out any sounds from the rest of the world.

Tsuna answered readily, "Reborn is at home, Dino is there too if you want to fight against someone strong. Anyway, both of them want me to take over Vongola despite me repeatedly saying that I can't. Neither of them want to listen. As for the others, not sure. I haven't seen them recently. They'll probably come by my house later on today once they finish up whatever they're working on."

Hibari didn't reply back, his dark eyes continuing to scrutinize the other. He stood just inches away from the teenager, his expression never changing, and remained silent a little longer before finally replying, "Why don't you want to take over?"

Tsuna almost sighed, his face kept carefully neutral. "I can't. It's just not possible."

The raven didn't answer, abiding to stare while edging the other to carry on.

"The Vongola sky ring will reject me."

Stillness remained as the truth was exposed, Hibari stepping around so that he could face Tsuna as another gust of wind blew by. The distant sounds of traffic and voices of people didn't bother neither of them, both focused on each other.

Tsuna stood up from his spot and sighed, twisting towards the raven. "I can trick the ring to accept me and continue to do so over a long period of time. It's not hard but I have no doubt that I'll be rejected by the souls resting within the ring. Though this body belongs to Sawada Tsunayoshi, _I am not him_."

Hibari's eyes narrowed at the confession, his fingers twitching, but resisted the temptation of actually striking.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi died a long time ago and, by his request, I took his place to make his mother happy. However, this body won't last much longer. It's on its pathway to rot where it stands despite the attempts to prolong its life. I only have a little longer left to live as Sawada Tsunayoshi, and afterwards, I'll be who I was before. It was peaceful dream while it lasted in my long life."

The cloud guardian continued to examine the being before him as he took in those words. His mind was going over each one carefully as he picked out those that made sense to him and those that didn't. However, he did bring up a conclusion once everything settled within his head. His dark eyes trailed over Tsuna's body carefully, as if trying to see where this rot was at exactly. "If that body dies, then will you still live?"

The brunet nodded, "Yes, but I will be different and it will be obvious. I'm immortal, some can consider me a demon. I can never die unless the King decrees it."

Hibari huffed, eyes narrowing just slightly as he spun around. "Doesn't matter. Those herbivores of yours will still crowd you regardless of who you are. Come back afterwards once that body is gone and you will see the truth."

Tsuna glanced up, slightly surprised at the blunt confession and yet, at the same time, wasn't. He knew this would happen despite telling himself otherwise from years of experience. Everyone was just too loyal to a fault and that was a good thing for someone like him. He almost smirked out of amusement. "I already know. They'll accept me despite my faults. But, well, if someone like you can admit that, then it must be true." He stretched in his spot for a moment before running a hand through his hair to remedy the abuse it had taken from the wind. "However, Vongola will not take it lightly, especially once the new heir is announced. They will come after me." He paused for a moment as his eyes narrowed. "And they will kill me."

Tsuna stepped away from the other, making his way up the ramp towards the city, ignoring the curious expression Hibari was exhibiting.

"After all, there cannot be two heirs to the throne. One must fail and sadly, that one will have to be me."

* * *

When Tsuna finally made his way home in the late evening, it was quiet without a single soul on the streets. He didn't have any issues with being in the dark by himself and the walk in the moonlight was refreshing to his nerves. The air was calm, a breeze barely dusting the streets, and there was no one in sight. Most of the houses were dark at this late hour, leaving only moonlight and street lamps to illuminate the night. His shadow followed behind and before him, changing as he moved from light to light, and his steps were quiet against the cement.

That was all interrupted when there was an earsplitting yell in the distance and a thunderous clattering of feet coming down the road. Tsuna paused for a moment as curiosity got the better of him and peered towards the direction of the noise, locating it before him. From the volume and overuse of the word 'extreme', he could only identify one person in Namimori that it could belong to. He waited for the white-haired individual to arrive, knowing already that he would want to ask the other a single question before he went back inside the house.

As the older teenager approached, a long trail of dust followed from behind but oddly no lights turned on from the noise (probably used to the occurrence). Within moments, Ryohei was jogging in front of him, staying in one place as he grinned brightly at the sight of the other. The brunet remained still, unbothered by the silver-haired teen's appearance especially at this time of night.

"Tsuna! It's extremely good to see you on this extreme night!"

The brunet shrugged his shoulders, his hands resting in his pockets as he took in the other human being. It was clear the other had been running for quite some time, the sweat dripping down his face and the soaked shirt being clear indicators. Ryohei's face was flushed red and the breathing was ragged as he tried to catch himself. Gradually, the teenager slowed down to a stop, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself before grinning brightly once more, turning his attention towards the brunet.

"I hear you'll be having an extreme battle soon!" Ryohei happily yelled, pumping his right fist forward. "And that I'll be having an extreme teacher to help me!"

Tsuna didn't budge from his spot, hands still resting in his pockets. He knew who this teacher was, one of the Arcobaleno. It was too obvious, as well as the fact that Reborn had been the one to send out the information regarding the battle to his guardians. If the Varia was going to come, it was only evident that the rest of his team members needed someone to look up to or follow to get stronger. "I'd rather there not be a battle and I doubt there will be one if all things happen as they should."

The older teenager blinked curiously, his energy level leaving him as he deflated. "No extreme battle? What a shame." He huffed and shrugged his shoulders, peering up at the night sky. "Master Pao Pao said I could repay you in this extreme matter."

The brunet sighed, tempted to rub his forward. "You don't need to repay me. I don't really care much for it."

"No!" Ryohei yelled. "I extremely owe you my sister's life. You saved her and I owe you."

Tsuna stared, blinking once before rolling his eyes. "There's no need to. You can pay me back by coming to my aid whenever I need it, though I doubt that will ever happen." He stepped forward, walking around the other. "Enjoy your life while you have it, spend time with your sister, find your love and that purpose that keeps you going. Have the normal life I could never have and never will."

Ryohei simply tilted his head, confused by the declaration. "You're extremely weird, Tsuna!"

The brunet almost smiled at those words, his lips twitching, and waved his hand behind as he placed some distance from the silver-haired teen. When he knew he was out of hearing range, he spoke once more, only to himself this time. "Humans live very short lives. Enjoy it while you can, mortal."

* * *

"How about I tell you an old story about myself?"

"An old story? Now?"

"Yes, it was a long time ago compared to now."

"I have to keep reminding myself that though you look about my age, you're much older than me."

* * *

**Interlude**

Tsuna remembered clearly when he was younger, only a few thousand years old, and how different he was compared to present day. Back then, he was vicious, a bloodthirsty monster that killed whoever stood before his path and it didn't matter who. He tore them apart without magic, sometimes barehanded. The destructive skills he had learned when he was human and with Veil left no opponent alive. The only ones that were able to direct him were Tsunayoshi and the Demon King, Drake. No one bothered him in fear that they would be struck down the moment they were spotted. He killed and slaughtered until every inch of his body was dyed red and the dripping blood calmed his rapid mind. He enjoyed it most when it would rain down on him, when he closed his eyes in content despite the torn up corpses surrounding his feet. He raised his empire through terror, left alone to stew in his own madness, while only those that could remain alive after being struck and deal with him remained. He had killed his family, his world, and anything that had once been precious to him. There was nothing left for him but to dwell in the darkness.

He eventually began to wander through the multiple worlds and dimensions, searching for something to keep his attention even if just momentarily. He held no hesitation in destroying a few for his mere amusement or tormenting the residents of that world to pass the time. Sometimes he would catch glimpses of his other selves but he never bothered with them. He left them alone along with anyone resembling those he hated, wanting to push those memories away, and vanished to bother with something else. Things continued on like that for a _very_ long time. He never broke out of his blinding fury to mature until he came across a certain individual.

Tsuna lifted up his chin as he heard a resounding cry and blinked curiously. He ignored the pile of bodies around him, his hands stained red, and tilted his head to one side. The sorcerer hadn't expected a baby to be within the area considering how desolated and rotten the place was. It just didn't seem right. Curiosity getting the better of him, he used his magic to fly upwards above the building in order to get a better grasp of the location. Only when he did so did he realize that the sound wasn't close by but echoing from a distance. His honey-colored eyes blinked debatably and floated down towards a more populated area, slowly gliding closer to the site. The ignorant humans strolling in the streets didn't notice him or the sound, Tsuna being completely invisible to their eyes even when covered in blood. He didn't even cast a shadow on the ground despite the brilliant sunlight high above and flew over the crowd, moving closer to the location.

It wasn't until he came upon a house, a very familiar house, that he realized what was going on. The brunet could only stare in question, listening as the crying occured from within and knowing exactly who it was coming from. This house, it was his old one. It was the one he had lived in ages ago and where any Tsuna lived in at least once.

He hadn't expected to be drawn here of all places and yet his inquisitiveness got the better of him. Floating closer, he went towards the second story window and peeked inside, spotting the crib in the center. His honey-colored eyes could see the waving hands above the walls and he passed through the glass window with ease, landing beside the crib to peak within. The door to the room was shut but he could sense life downstairs, most likely Nana, and it appeared that she was on the phone with someone, ignoring the crying or unable to hear it. He wasn't entirely sure but it didn't make him any happier with her. His mind instantly flashed back to his own and he scowled for a moment, enough to make a small sound. It was that tiny noise that caught the baby's attention and Tsuna froze, his face slipping back into a neutral expression.

The baby stopped crying the second their eyes connected and simply stared in wonder. A few moments went by and Tsuna observed intriguingly for any motions, floating closer to the crib after using a spell to make him pristine clean. He didn't need to get blood all over the floor. As he leaned over, the baby finally moved. Two small but chubby hands came shooting out towards him and the baby squealed happily in delight, waving them gleefully. The Sorcerer King simply tilted his head, curiosity once more getting the better of him, and reached forward towards those tiny hands. They gripped as tightly as they could around one of his fingers and tried to tug him forward. There wasn't any real strength in the baby's grasp but the effort almost made Tsuna smile out of amusement. Floating downward, his shoes touched against the carpeted floor and wiggled his finger teasingly, already knowing how the baby would react. The baby squealed some more and Tsuna couldn't help but use his other hand for magic, creating small but sparkly lights in the shape of bubbles. The baby continued to laugh excitedly, detaching himself and reaching eagerly for the floating bubbles.

It was only moments later that Tsuna picked up the sounds of footsteps from behind the door, ascending up the stairs. Snapping his head upward, he vanished from sight, taking the bubbles with him. The baby's face immediately scrunched up at the sudden disappearance of his new toys, tears welling up in those large honey-colored eyes, and once more cried out in misery, wailing loudly from within his crib. The door opened soon after as Nana came rushing in, reaching inside to take the baby out and holding him fondly against her bosom. She smiled softly, gently cooing, and rocked the child back and forth in her arms, quickly getting the baby to calm down to mere sniffles. The baby Tsuna blinked those large eyes, the tears disappearing, and stared up at his mother.

"Ah, I'm so sorry to leave you all alone. I got so busy downstairs that I didn't even notice." Nana smiled her usual overly happy way, observing as the baby that began to smile at her words.

Tsuna watched from the side, invisible to all eyes except for the baby version of himself, and remained in his little spot, unable to bring himself to leave. He hadn't experienced having Nana being an actual mother, least of all towards him. Though it brought up horrible memories of his mistreatment, he couldn't tear himself away. It was only minutes later that he heard the front door opening, an unfamiliar voice yelling from the front area that 'he' was home. Curiosity once more getting the better of him, Tsuna floated out of the area and to the stairs to see a young blond child standing there like he belonged in this household. The information clicked in his mind soon after. This world had two brothers but the ages were far apart compared to himself and his twin, Cielo. While the Tsuna of this world was a newborn, the older brother was probably five to six years older in age. It was a drastic change compared to what he had experienced previously.

'How odd.' The Sorcerer King listened as Nana came out with baby Tsuna, shouting out to her older son of this world. The older sibling had the name Ieyasu, a name completely different to his twin, and Tsuna hummed gently to himself as he absorbed the information. The workings of this world were quite interesting and he wanted to see how things would work out in the future when the mafia came knocking on their doorsteps. With that in mind, he was already making plans to hang around with this family for some time. How would the older brother treat the younger? How would the mafia take in consideration the siblings? The immortal found the very thought entertaining and he had all the time in the world to find out.

Years passed and he persistently watched over the little version of himself, getting known to the child as the name 'Sin', short for 'Sinister'. He didn't exactly find the naming appropriate for the child but it was something he could work with and recognize when he was called out to. It was interesting to see his life relived all over again but in a much more gentle and contented fashion. This Tsuna wasn't scorned by his family and was well loved by them even with another brother in the household. He could already tell that, as the younger of the two, he couldn't be Vongola Decimo, but Ieyasu wasn't a terrible sibling. He found the hatred he held towards his long-dead family slowly crumbling away.

To the child who could still see him, he kept the hood of his cape up to cover his features, and to everyone Tsuna spoke to, Sin was considered an imaginary friend. The Sorcerer King didn't mind and played the role perfectly. However as years continued to move by, he got a little more active. He taunted the family members continuously by moving objects around the house, making noises, flickering the lights, and much more. Before he realized it, he had taken to haunting the family like a poltergeist but never once did he attempt to harm a single one. They didn't deserve any pain and he couldn't bring himself to do such things. The only time he outwardly attacked was when Iemitsu returned home. Sin showed his annoyance by freaking the father out by closing and opening doors, creating shadows along the walls, whispering hated words into his ears as he slept, and even throwing stuff at his head when he was facing the opposite direction. They were minor things but it helped with the belief of his haunting. No one else noticed except for Iemitsu and Tsuna, the latter taking it in glee.

The blond father simply waved it off, though Sin didn't miss the narrowing of his eyes in confusion, and left a week later, not to return for another couple of years. The Sorcerer King strode through the household freely, helping the child in tutoring, with his bullies, and even with issues outside of Tsuna's control. Iemitsu was an idiot no matter what dimension and assassins were always checking for openings. Sin took care of those easily, feeling more like himself once he began killing instead of the homely version he had somehow settled into. He didn't have any work back at his home in Hell nor did he have any subordinates to talk to so he was left alone even by the other Kings and Queens (though the King of Time took great insurances in bothering him constantly for days at times to know that he was still well loved by him).

Sin continued to observe as time trickled by and soon it caught up when Ieyasu was to become Decimo-in-training. He saw the letter that Nana was holding and made the connection the second Reborn came crashing into their lives. Things progressed as they were supposed to with the added individual in the household, the craziness of Reborn's plots and the mafia itself keeping everyday interesting. Reborn attempted a few times to stop Tsuna in believing in imaginary friends and grow up, but with Sin simply floating there on the ceiling, one couldn't convince the child to change his stubborn mind. Days went by and more people came to the house, Ieyasu met his guardians, managed to survive Reborn's training, fought off Mukuro, and earned some status among the townspeople. Tsuna remained unchanged but he not unhappy with his life. He was only five years younger than his older brother, and though some of the guardians barely glanced at him, they never really bothered much. They weren't unkind, something the Sorcerer King was glad for, and so he left them alone, staying with the child Tsuna to keep him entertained. It wasn't until Iemitsu came home for the Varia battles that things got thrown out of whack.

"Tunafish, you can't keep saying you have an imaginary friend. You need to grow up. Don't you want to be like your older brother and be big and strong with lots of friends?" Iemitsu attempted over dinner when training had finished up for the day, the battle with the Varia looming closer. Nana had cooked a feast for the family to celebrate her husband's return and due to the large amount of food, Ieyasu had to invite his friends to help finish off the dishes. Tsuna sat near the edge of the counter with a plate before and next to him, the seat empty for the Sorcerer King who floating above their heads. No one at the table stopped to intervene, even Reborn had given up on changing the child's mind. It was something he had to grow out of, but Nana found it more adorable than a hindrance.

"Sin isn't an imaginary friend! He's real!" Tsuna retorted, puffing his cheeks out in defiance. Sin simply ignored the conversation, used to being ignored, and would carefully sneak food from the table when no one was paying attention. Though he didn't require food, that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy it.

"He's imaginary! He's made up by your mind."

"No he's not!"

Iemitsu finally had enough and got up from his seat, stepping towards the young child. He reached over and shook the boy. "You can't act like this forever, you need to become a big boy soon."

"No!"

Sin watched for a few moments, observing the situation before making his presence known. He didn't reveal himself but used some magic to fling Iemitsu to the side against the wall with a loud 'thump', earning some gasps and shocked expressions. Sin didn't care, no one could see him except Tsuna and it didn't matter much if he was finally revealed as a real entity. Nana had always known when he was around, smiling as he ghosted by or leaving extra food on the table for him, while Ieyasu had ignored him, believing him as nothing more than a figment of his brother's imagination.

Tsuna huffed in annoyance, "See! He's real! Now leave me alone!" Taking his plate of food, he ran upstairs, ignoring the expressions the rest of the group stared after him. Sin could already tell that things were going to change but he didn't mind all that much. He found that just all the more entertaining. The next few months were spent on people trying to ascertain his realness, the Varia battles, more training for Ieyasu to become Vongola Decimo, the time travelling incident (Tsuna caught in tow for reasons unknown while Sin followed along simply because he could), and even group gatherings between all the mafia famiglias of the world.

Tsuna grew up quite normal despite all the madness around him, handling issues in the Vongola as it was obvious that sooner or later he would be dragged into the family matters regardless of his desires. Though people had stopped bothering him about Sin's existence, they never learned that he had a twenty-four seven bodyguard close by. Sin remained around for years until Tsuna was strong enough to handle himself, old enough to start his own personal family, before finally saying goodbye. He couldn't remain forever and human lives were short anyway, getting too attached would do more harm than good to his already shattered mental state. The time he had spent with Tsuna was nothing more than a small flicker to his long existence but that flicker changed him nonetheless. He wasn't as harsh towards the people he met and the change was noticeable to those of Hell whenever he visited.

On his final day, he appeared before Tsuna who was settled in his office, completing some paperwork as he had taken over as the external advisor, standing before the desk quietly. The brunet didn't even look up, already knowing who it could be. "Yes, Sin? It's great to see you after all this time. Now, you haven't been getting yourself into anymore trouble lately, have you?"

Sin almost cracked a smile at the comment. "No, I've been good. Too busy to bother actually." He quietly sighed, keeping his face straight, and shifted to the side. "I've actually come here to say goodbye."

Tsuna immediately stopped what he was going, snapping his head up. His pen hanged above a document and it was clear that the shocked eyes gave him away. "What?"

"I'm leaving." The immortal started once more. "I need to head back to my dimension and take care of things there."

There was still some nervousness in Tsuna's grip, trying to be certain about this particular situation. "Then you could always come back afterwards..."

Sin tilted his head slightly, already knowing how this conversation would go. "No, time travels differently in my realm. I'm an immortal being, a demon of sorts, and your time will be up before I even make it back here. I wanted to say goodbye before that happens and say that..." He trailed off momentarily before reaching up to pull up his hood. Never once had he taken it off, never once had he revealed his true features no matter how many times Tsuna asked and begged. It had been a long-standing mystery and Tsuna had even attempted to forcefully remove the hood but failed every time. Sin's hair was messy and one quick stroke with his fingers had them detangling back to its usual spiky state. Though he was mentally older than Tsuna, his features was still that of a mid-twenty year old. "I'm glad to have been there for you as you grew up. You've changed me for the better, Tsunayoshi. You may not realize it but you did."

"You!" The younger brunet simply stared, his pen dropping onto the paperwork, not caring about the splatter it caused on the white sheets. He jumped up from his seat, banging his right knee against the underside of the table, but the pain was ignored. The shock on his expression was clear and Sin leaned forward, petting the physically older brunet on the head.

"It was good to have met you, Sawada Tsunayoshi. I'm glad that someone had the chance to live a better life than I ever could. It's a shame things turned out the way they have but at the same time, I'm quite glad. This is goodbye, Tsuna. You are a good child and I'm glad to have been there for you." Within seconds, he vanished from his spot but not before using a little magic to clear up the mess the pen had caused and casting a powerful spell to keep the human safe from all harm. He could still hear Tsuna screaming for him, knowing the younger brunet had just lost his lifelong best friend. Sin, still close by, felt his heart clench as the male broke down against the table, biting down on his bottom lip. No tears welled up in his eyes soon after, the emotions rampaging in his system dulled from a millennia of madness. It had been nice to feel human once more, to feel normal. However, some things couldn't be helped. He didn't want to see the child he had met and helped raise grow old and die.

Sin knew he had limits and he'd rather not stretch them further they already were. It was time to head home.

However, that didn't stop a single tear from sliding down his cheek and take a shaky breath as he teleported himself away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter to make up my lack of updates.
> 
> Next chapter: Xanxus


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've gone over the entire story (including the previous chapter) and changed a few details since some of the plotline wasn't matching up to the current plot (with small wording/grammar edits while I'm at it). No huge changes, just minor ones here and there, but it will make a difference in future chapters. If you have time, please reread. It was updated on 10/18
> 
> Some examples of the changes:
> 
> 1\. In Older!Lambo's first appearance, he no longer has a ring.
> 
> 2\. Older!Reborn's rings have been changed.
> 
> 3\. Since Tsuna is an immortal, he can be considered a demon, but his kind are technically called Sorcerers/Wizards/Mages.
> 
> 4\. Tsuna will not make it to eighteen. He only has 1-2 years left in that form.
> 
> 5\. Older!Reborn has a tattoo on his neck that Older!Tsuna hides from his past self.
> 
> These are just some that were switched around, there are many more. Thanks and enjoy!

"You enjoy messing up timelines, don't you?"

"Of course, it gives me something to do. Even after living for so long, there are so many opportunities for entertainment. I am a patient individual, I can wait for a person to be born and grow old to die. During that time, I like to see what changes would happen if I interfered, if I inserted or took away an individual or event, how it might affect the future. There are infinite possibilities, even considering the fate that is held over a certain individuals."

"You sound like a mad scientist."

"Well, I'm not exactly sane. You start dabbling in things to keep yourself occupied. Why do you think Reborn has so many achievements? He didn't get that many just because he wanted to. He was bored, time froze for him and killing people was no longer a challenge. He lost that high he got after a kill, that pleasure, and so he searched for something else."

"Sometimes your insights into people are scary. But whatever, keep going about your story. You haven't finished just yet."

* * *

Tsuna knew that the time for Varia's _remarkable_ appearance was nearing and he knew that when they came, only destruction would be left behind. From the histories of other dimensions, a small war would be declared between his group and theirs for the claim of the Vongola rings and if things were to go exactly as many timelines had, he would be victorious. But at what cost? Tsuna was already identifying the paths he could take, but he knew his future had been determined the moment he had taken a glance into said future. And so, he left it alone, allowing fates to do what it always did, create trouble.

As expected, they appeared four days after Basil and Dino's arrival with an earsplitting announcement for the war that would determine the owners of the rings in one week (well, Squalo did). They revealed themselves on the way to school, standing on top of a hill to look down on the teenagers with their backs against the rising sun. Their shadows stretched long across the cement, appearing imposing and ready for battle from the way they stood. Tsuna didn't even bat an eyelash at the declaration and continued to walk to school as if he hadn't heard anything. He kept some distance between them in case they decided to retaliate, not wanting to be made late by some inconveniences, and continued to disregard them without a care. His guardians peered curiously between the two groups before they shrugged and followed their beloved boss. Reborn, in his usual spot in Tsuna's arms, raised an eyebrow at the brunet's blunt rejection but kept quiet, knowing better than to speak up in such a heavy atmosphere. It was clear that the Varia had been annoyed by the frank denial but resisted in attacking outright, not when Reborn was still with the Vongola heir. They would get their chance in one week's time, so they left to stew in their current base of operations.

However, that wasn't the end of the surprises for the day. Tsuna and Reborn came home after school to find Iemitsu in the kitchen with the largest grin on his face, already buttering up Nana with sugarcoated words and gestures. The couple's actions almost made Tsuna twitch in disgust, Reborn soon to follow, and they momentarily peered at each other, keeping in the sigh that both wanted to release in irritation.

The brunet eventually huffed as he glanced away from the situation, observing in hidden annoyance as his supposed-father laughed merrily as he drank his booze and eat Nana's cooking like there was no tomorrow. Lambo and I-pin were in the other room, watching a movie that was more violent and gory than any PG-rated movie he can remember, and enjoying some snacks Nana had brought out for them only to keep their attention elsewhere. Neither Reborn nor he said a word to announce their arrival until Nana noticed them at the edges of the entryway from the corner of her eyes.

"Oh, welcome back Tsuna! Reborn! Look who came home today!" The brunette smiled brilliantly, dancing around the room in joy. She spun around to stir something in the pan before turning back, her happiness never once leaving her expression as she loudly hummed. There were grease stains and smudges of sauces on her apron and the entire house smelled deliciously, easily telling the two that she had been at the stove for hours.

Tsuna nodded and gave a small greeting in response while Reborn hopped out of his grasp, landing beside Iemitsu on the table. Basil was sitting in the chair beside the CEDEF boss, happily gorging himself on Nana's cooking and all the while complimenting it with each bite. The cuts and bruises on the strawberry-blond had healed over, looking like the incident had never happened in the first place. Everything was cheerful and bright...until the second Iemitsu turned around to glance at his son. The glare in his eyes, hidden from Nana's point of view, was clear and could be felt even though it was only directed at a certain individual.

"Ah, aren't you supposed to be at school?" The tone in the blond male's voice deliberately stated his displeasure but only those that recognized the small difference caught it. Reborn narrowed his eyes instantly, flicking his fedora upward to get a better look, while Basil paused his fork midway as it reached forward, pursing his lips in confusion. The hitman kept quiet, taking in the clear dislike in Iemitsu's eyes, finding truth in Tsuna's past statements of his father hating him.

Tsuna shrugged his shoulders, unfazed by the change. "Don't you know? School ends around this time every day."

Iemitsu broke out into a gleaming smile like nothing had happened just as Nana came around, placing another plate onto the counter to add to the growing collection. "Oh! I didn't know. School is different in other countries, some get out earlier or later than others. I must have gotten it all mixed up, my bad." He peered up at his wife momentarily than back to Tsuna. "Well, come on, son. Let's head out back and have a long overdue father-son talk. That should be fine, right dear?" Iemitsu just flashed another grin towards his wife, who simply nodded her head cheerfully. If no one had been really listening in, it was clear as day that the blond's voice was being strained, pushed the longer he spoke in Tsuna's presence.

"Just take your time, I'm still working on a few more things. Oh, you haven't seen Tsuna for so long! He's grown up so much while you've been away!" With a cheerful hum, Nana rotated back around for the stove. "He's such a wonderful boy! So mature!"

With that behind them, the two family members slipped out towards the back with Reborn and Basil following along. No one said anything until they were in the yard, the glass doors closing behind to prevent anyone inside from listening in. The two children had their eyes glued to the TV, never looking away even when their hands were reaching for the bowl of snacks. Iemitsu stopped near the back fence, his arms folded against his chest, and stared at the brunet with a fierce scowl. The aura surrounding the family members had changed into something very dark between the two individuals. Reborn hopped back into Tsuna's arms, observing the blond carefully for any extra movements from his advantageous position. Basil was off to the side, glancing between them with uncertainty. It was clear he was the only one that didn't know exactly what was happening.

"I heard you refused the Vongola rings." And there it was, the start of the end.

Tsuna huffed, "I don't want to be Vongola Decimo. You can either keep them or give them over to Xanxus. It makes little difference to me."

"Tsuna, you don't understand." The blond started, "You are the only heir right now that can take over. Xanxus _cannot_ be Vongola Decimo. He'll lead it to ruin with his rage and ambitions and Vongola doesn't need more violence to add to its dark history."

The brunet's eyes snapped upward, narrowing slightly in annoyance. "And you think I'm the better option? Oh, please." He huffed once more, glancing away and took a step towards the side. "Why don't you just say the truth already? You don't honestly want me to be Vongola Decimo but apparently I'm the better choice over Xanxus."

The external Advisor twitched, narrowing his sky blue eyes. He took a deep breath, exhaling out like it was all the frustration he had built up over the years being released. He pinched at the bridge of his nose, eyes closed momentarily before staring back at the teenager. No one said anything while the blond gathered himself, not wanting to interrupt this so-called family reunion.

Finally, Iemitsu admitted it. "That's right. I _don't_ want you to be Decimo but I don't have a choice. I need time to work out my other plans but time is not on our side. If everything happens the way I want it to, you can have your regular life back and live peacefully, the way you did before the Mafia stepped in." Iemitsu grinned like he was proud of something, something neither of the three other individuals were quite clear about. "Isn't that great? You're a normal person, you don't need to get involved with the dangerous world of the mafia. You can live like none of it ever happened."

The brunet almost rolled his eyes but settled with shaking his head. Everyone knew that once in the mafia, one didn't leave it so easily, not unless one wanted bloodshed and loss. There was also the fact that he was related to Iemitsu, the External Advisor of Vongola and boss of CEDEF. People would come after him for that reason alone. "You're a horrible liar... and ridiculous as well. You must really think I'm some sort of fool if I was to believe that completely. I'm not some child you can string along and follow you blindly like an idiot."

"Because you're _not a child?_ "

Tsuna blinked momentarily, caught off by those words. He snapped his eyes towards the blond, observing Iemitsu carefully, before finally twitching his nose as he realize what exactly was happening. 'Ah, there it is. At long last.' The immortal almost chuckled but his expression remained blank, as he could tell Iemitsu was nowhere close to being done.

The External Advisor's expression had morphed dramatically, teeth grinding against each other as he stared at the brunet accusingly. His fists were tightly bounded, almost enough to turn white and draw blood. "Because you're not _my_ son?"

The brunet remained quiet, continuing to wait for the other to finish first.

"I don't know who you are exactly but I know you're not the child I remembered. Nana may be oblivious but I'm not. My son is gone, I know that for a fact, and something took his place. I would be an idiot to not realize that. My hyper intuition doesn't lie, it keeps telling me you're not who you say or appear to be."

This time Tsuna couldn't help the little smirk that began spread onto his lips. He wanted to laugh, knowing Iemitsu had been right in his feelings all along, and it had been that intuition that drove a wedge between the two family members. "You really are an idiot." He spun his heels back at the man as he stepped towards the house, knowing this conversation wouldn't be lasting any longer. "You always have been and always will. You never realized that there are more things at work then what you can physically see and sense. Though I will give you this, you are correct in your assumption in that your son is gone, dead, but I did not kill him, his cancer did. If you had really paid attention to your wife more often than burying yourself in your work or even just exchanged a simple phone call more often than once a year, then perhaps you would have realized it sooner."

Tsuna paused for a moment to allow his words to settle into everyone's minds. He smirked at the sensations that were beginning to sprout around them.

"But it's too late and there's nothing you can do now to fix your mistakes in the past but I will say this: Grow up, Iemitsu." The brunet sneered, a flash of anger slipping into his voice."You're too far behind to catch up and whatever you're planning will fail simply because you are a fool."

With those final words, Tsuna went back into the house but not before placing Reborn onto the ground. He knew the three would have a long talk with each other once they had processed his words and he had no plans on getting involved. He didn't even want to be in the vicinity when they started looking to him for answers. In all honesty, Tsuna was tired of his so-called father even after such a short meeting between them and with him in town, things were finally going to start moving forward. He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair, and quickly left the house without a saying word to anyone. The door barely made a noise behind him. He only had a limited amount of time to move and couldn't afford to be stopped or followed.

It was time to see Xanxus _personally_ and have a little chat about their futures. He wasn't going to be the plaything for Vongola to mess around with any longer. It was time to set things into place as they should be: with him at the very top.

* * *

The moment Tsuna decided to set things into motion and speak to Xanxus in person, he knew it wouldn't be easy. Vongola was a couple of steps ahead of him, something Tsuna had allowed since he had known about it from the very beginning. Then there was the Varia leader's explosive personality to take into consideration but it had to be done to get things set up for future complications. He couldn't allow things to progress any further. It was time to start spinning.

The timeline of this dimension was already thrown off with one additional individual that hadn't existed before and this person was already making a drastically shift from typical storyline just after surfacing recently. The core of Vongola was in chaos, the ploy between Tsuna and Xanxus wan effort to calm it down while giving the Vongola _famiglia_ something to focus on. It didn't help that this person was already making plans in the background with Iemitsu and Vongola Nono. He knew neither of the two would admit anything, especially Iemitsu (so much so that he gave no hints of it during their little talk) and so it was finally time for him to make his way forward and tip the balance in his favor. Though Tsuna had changed things around when he first arrived, the timeline had progressed smoothly in the same direction with the outcome clear in the setting...until now.

He made his way to one of the most expensive hotels in Namimori, knowing very well that Xanxus' tastes and preferences would not allow otherwise. It made tracking the obvious group of assassins simple despite the town of Namimori being moderate in size. It's not often that a large group of high-class men appeared in such a place with fancy black cars driving around without whispers and gossip spreading about rapidly. As the word spread, people started looking, being the nosey creatures they are.

Tsuna stepped towards the glowing building, hands pocketed and dressed plainly compared to the rest of the visitors and workers of the building that were coming and going from a single spinning doorway. However, no one bothered him, though a few glances were tossed in curiosity and disgust, not believing that a child would be dressed so casually in this classy place. Others ignored him, believing him to be a rebellious child of one of the customers that was staying at the hotel. He was tempted to roll his eyes at the stares but simply peered ahead as he focused on his destination.

In the entryway, there were women dressed elegantly in vibrant dresses, showing off their physical assets and luxurious jewelry, while the men had suits that cost more than a sports car, flaunting their money like it was their pride and joy. Tsuna definitely felt out of place when compared to the glamour but he pressed on, making his way towards the elevators in the back. His right hand thumbed the button for the floor and he was alone in the metal-box as the doors slid shut. He had a limited amount of time before Reborn noticed his disappearance and wandered off to search for him. Well, that is if he could stop arguing with Iemitsu back at the house. He could already tell from Reborn's personality that the hitman wasn't just going to let this go. It was too bad Iemitsu could be incredibly stubborn, nearly as stubborn as Reborn.

As the elevator dinged once he reached the top floor and the doors opened, Tsuna stepped out, heading straight towards the door at the end of the hallway. He could already hear the rowdiness of the Varia team echoing down the corridor and easily made out each individual voice even though the door was closed. Tsuna didn't bother knocking and simply used magic to unlock it, listening to the click on the other side.

The noise exploded outward with a strong gust of wind slamming into his body but he continued onward without a care. His eyes made out five individuals in the main entrance room, the sixth and final teammate, one he was specifically looking for, was missing. No one noticed him at first and Tsuna stepped inside the room, avoiding any thrown items or projectile abilities as he went by. No eye caught sight of nor turned towards him, everyone's attention focused on each other, and it remained that way until he reached the door at the other side that lead to the dining room. Squalo, the second-in-command, was arguing with Lussuria over hair products and his attitude towards their enemies. Leviathan and Belphegor were bickering on the opposite side, something about insulting the latter's "princeliness" and weapons. Mammon was hidden atop a bookcase, away from the craziness, and was sipping on a strawberry milk carton. It was the mist guardian of Varia that finally spotted him, raising his head slightly just as Tsuna grasped the knob and gave it a twist.

The brunet peered at the illusionist momentarily, blinking once, before ignoring the Arcobaleno and pushing open the frame. He knew the other wouldn't bother with him as any member of the Varia fully expected their bad-tempered boss to be able to take care of himself. Closing the door behind him, Tsuna almost huffed considering he had been able to bypass an elite group of assassins so easily but pushed it out of his mind as he turned his attention to the leader in the back, settled at the end of the long mahogany dining table. He took a single step forward to immediately get the other's attention and almost smirked at Xanxus's initial reaction at his sudden appearance.

The Varia leader instantly narrowed his eyes, freezing up for a split second at the shock of having someone suddenly emerge into the room, before growling angrily. He reached for his gun hidden within his coat, fingers wrapping around the weapon. "Trash, how did you get here?"

"Through the front door." Tsuna reached up and pointed behind him, never keeping his eyes off the other. "No one stopped me." Quietly stepping towards the table, he pulled out the chair on the opposite side of Xanxus and sat down. He scooted forward and placed his hands on top of the table to show that he wasn't here for a fight but to talk. Xanxus recognized the signs but didn't let go of his gun. "No one noticed me coming in, they were too busy fighting with each other. Except Mammon, but he probably expected you to be able to take care of yourself."

"Trash, all of them." Xanxus sneered and used his free hand to gulp down his drink in one motion before tossing the empty glass at the side. It shattered against the wall, the broken pieces scattering across the floor, and the noise outside hushed.

Tsuna didn't pay much attention to the near silent movement on the other side of the room, his eyes resting on Xanxus only. "You already know who I am so introductions aren't necessary."

The Varia leader's right eyebrow twitched and this time he clicked the safety off his weapon, continuing to point it straight at the other. The brunet remained unfazed, sitting still like nothing had happened. Xanxus sneered momentarily at the lack of reaction but didn't pay much in mind, the end of his gun glowing in an orange flame. "You must obviously have a death wish if you're willing to come here to your enemies' place."

"Not really." Tsuna countered, blinking once before tilting his head to the side. His bangs slid across his face at the movement and his arms raised up to cross against his chest. "I came here with some information you might want before you decide on anything regarding me."

The brief narrowing of Xanxus' eyes alerted him that he had the other's attention and that was all Tsuna needed.

"You've been tricked." Those three simple words almost made Xanxus react but before he could, Tsuna continued. "Someone has decided to pit us against each other in hopes of us killing each other or leave the winner weakened enough to go in for the final kill."

Xanxus observed as the brunet reached up to push a bang out of his eyes, Tsuna's voice eerily calm. His fingers twitched momentarily but he remained still, listening intently.

"They also took you out of the loop in Italy, from the main headquarters, so that you wouldn't know what exactly was going on while you were over here playing with me. And so, with the both of us focusing solely on each other, we wouldn't notice those in the background changing things around."

With that explanation, Xanxus seemed to calm down momentarily, the glowing of his gun fading. His eyes remained glued on the other, his mind running over those words carefully. "What exactly do you mean by that, trash?"

Tsuna almost sighed. "I mean that someone in Vongola is currently pulling the strings on the both of us. Take out both of the competitors in one fell swoop. It's a pretty good plan, we would be too distracted with each other to notice what was occurring in the shadows until it was too late."

The Sorcerer King smirked, leaning forward to place his elbow on the table, and used the palm of his hand to cradle his chin. The silence in the room was thick enough to cut it but still no one, not Xanxus nor the Varia members in the other room, spoke up, which left the entire field for Tsuna to manipulate. "The only thing he failed to take into consideration was that I _know_ what happens in the shadows, aware or not. Things like that don't slip pass me."

Tsuna could tell from the lack of noise behind him that the rest of the team was listening in intently, bundled up against the door to hear better. He didn't show it on his expression though and kept going. "I have no intention of fighting you honestly. You can have the rings if you really want them that badly, though we both know you can't use them because of some small in-between the lines of its contract of use." The brunet almost huffed, observing the way Xanxus' eyes momentarily widened at the hidden message before narrowing once more. "If you really want them, go to Dino. He's currently in charge of them but I suggest you think carefully because if you don't, you'll be falling into a hole you won't be able to climb out."

As the brunet stood up, about to head back to the house, Xanxus spoke up. His voice was even and calm. "Why are you telling me this? You could be easily lying about everything, trash."

The Sorcerer King blinked once before smirking. "Because I like to make a mess of things, it's a bad habit of mine, and I have no intention of following Iemitsu or that man's plans. I suspect neither will you once you find out the truth. Iemitsu is currently here to ensure that the fight between us occurs exactly as planned, keeping an eye on me at home while using his men to watch over you. Because of that, I'll need to return soon before my so-called father finds out I'm missing and sends a search party out for me. I'd rather not be found talking to you if you know what I mean." He rotated around to reach for the door to the entry way, twisting the knob just slightly. The frame creaked and he spotted all of the Varia's members waiting on the other side, clearly eavesdropping on the conversation. "If you really want to find out what's really going on, go back to Italy to speak to Nono directly, don't do it over the phone. He'll easily misdirect you otherwise. In person, he'll spill the truth to you because you're his son despite the differences but you're not going to like the results. You'll also no doubt see the person that's been hiding in the shadows, attempting to manipulate us both."

Xanxus snorted, crossing his arms against his chest and leaned back against the chair, raising his legs up onto of the table. "You want me to head back to Italy?" He tched and continued. "I'll repeat, you could be doing all this to simply trick me. And anyway, I can kill you right here, right now, and end all of this nonsense."

Tsuna automatically shrugged his shoulders. "I could be but I'm not exactly going anywhere anytime soon. I'll still be in Namimori when you come back so I'll be easy to find. And anyway, you gave me a week to prepare. You can head back to the Vongola mansion, return before that and still be in time for our so-called battle." Tsuna almost rolled his eyes but reached up instead to tuck some hair behind his right ear."However, I'd like us both to be alive and perhaps allies when the new Vongola heir is crowned and he turns against us both for being in his way of a total victory. It won't be much longer now. Once it's been done, they'll either force you back into your position if you're valuable or eliminate you if you become a headache that they can't control."

Xanxus sneered, his grip tightening around his arms at the thought of being forced to do anything.

"However, for me, I'll be considered an enemy that needs to be eliminated as there can't be two potential heirs and they may even try to send you after me to perhaps show your loyalty towards the new boss. I wouldn't be too surprised, Vongola is a violent group and there are many that won't hesitate to backstab each other in the background. You know exactly who they are." Tsuna paused momentarily to once more let those words settle in. His honey-colored eyes peered straight into Xanxus' red ones, knowing he still had the other's full attention. "I'd like you to not follow those commands completely once they come out. If anything I want you to cause chaos for Vongola because we both know it's much more interesting than being played like good little puppets. However, I'll leave that up to you once you find out the truth, Xanxus."

With those final words, Tsuna stepped out of the room, passing the Varia members who had opened up enough space for him to slip through. No one bothered to stop him or say anything in retaliation, waiting for their orders to respond from Xanxus. However, even he remained quiet. They simply watched as Tsuna exited through the front, closing the frame behind him with a gentle tap. The brunet was obviously heading back home, considering how late into the night it was and even when he had gotten far enough, Varia continued to remain quiet.

Xanxus sat there, not moving just yet, as his eyes stared into his wine bottle before him. His team observed him carefully, unsure on how to react just yet, until Squalo broke through, being brave enough to act. "Boss?" His voice was a normal level, nowhere close to its usual tone. It revealed the hesitancy everyone else was sharing.

The leader of Varia reached forward for the bottle of wine that had been left untouched considering he had destroyed his glass cup previously. His fingers tightened around the top end and brought it up to his lips, taking a long swing of the drink. He emptied it and immediately tossed it against the wall to join the cup in pieces on the floor. Leviathan and Belphegor flinched at the sound but all eyes remained on the boss.

Xanxus sneered, sliding his feet off the table and slammed them against the floor. "Call HQ and verify this information! I want to know _everything_! I will not look a fool to anyone especially to Nono!" As he spoke, he slammed his fist against the table, breaking it under from the force exerted."And make sure to book the first flight back to Italy! I'm heading back to have a little face to face chat with Nono."

Squalo raised an eyebrow, surprised by the sudden response. "Shitty boss? You don't actually believe our enemy, do you?"

"Doesn't matter, trash! I want that information checked thoroughly! If what he says is true, then we're nothing but pawns in a sick game that won't end well for either for us! I refuse to lay down from our mistakes because we didn't confirm it!" Xanxus growled, his eyes peering at Leviathan and sneered. "And you! Get me another drink!"

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

Reborn glanced up when Tsuna opened the front door to the house, peering straight at the brunet with suspicious eyes. The brunet peered at the hitman momentarily before glancing around the rest of the area. He could hear Iemitsu and Nana in the kitchen, laughing about one thing or another, which alerted him that it was just the two of them at this very time. He didn't see the children anywhere either.

Tsuna raised up a finger to his lips and smiled momentarily. "Shhh, later." His eyes drifted towards the kitchen, letting Reborn interpret it that he didn't want Iemitsu to hear anything he said. The hitman narrowed his eyes for a second before huffing, tugged his fedora down, and turned away. They would talk about this later but for now they would remain undiscovered by the enemy of the house. As Tsuna reached over to lift Reborn into his arms, he gave a small reassuring squeeze before entering the kitchen, where the household was settled for dinner.

Reborn smirked for a moment before settling into the warmth of the arms, remaining close to Tsuna even on the table when he had to jump out. He had to admit, this supposed-student of his was quite the interesting one and there was a game to be played in motion.

* * *

Bermuda peered down at the purple-haired illusionist from where he was settled on one of the Vindice guard's shoulder. He smirked from underneath his bandages, taking Mukuro in with interest, while his eyes continued to examine the boy curiously. He hadn't honestly thought the deal would go through, that the information on Checker Face had been a lie. However, it wasn't and it was high time he came through with his end of the bargain.

"You're quite blessed." He spoke, earning a pair of enraged multi-colored eyes towards him, ignoring the way the chains rattled from around the teenager's arms and legs. Mukuro sneered from underneath his gaze, his body covered in bruises and dirt. "It appears the heir to Vongola was correct in his information. So lucky for you, the deal will go through as planned and we will release you and your friends."

Mukuro's eyes widened momentarily. "You mean..."

"That's correct, Rokudo Mukuro." Bermuda smirked. "You owe your very freedom to Sawada Tsunayoshi so I suggest you use it wisely. If I were you, I'd do whatever I can to repay the debt." He was taunting the other, enjoying the way the teenager twitched at his words. It wasn't often he got to interact with the criminals but this one along with Sawada Tsunayoshi had caught his attention.

The Vindice guards slipped closer to the cage.

"Don't waste this chance. You won't get another one."


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be rereading 'Contract' and doing the exact same thing I had done to 'The Unexplainable' because I have completely forgotten about the entire storyline. It might take me a while but when I'll update the chapters with the edits, it'll be when the new chapter comes out.
> 
> By the way, I don't know if anyone noticed but since the start of chapter 32, there's always been some dialogue shared between Tsuna and someone else at the beginning (sometimes middle), both of which are reflecting back on the past. This person is not Reborn or any other character that's been introduced. Can you guess who?
> 
> Beta'd by Pure Red Crane

"Sin, you're absolutely brilliant for a mad man."

"Hm?"

"No, really. You know how to work people, you know exactly what to say, you know how to string them along, to convince them to do something they don't quite feel comfortable with, and/or make it seem like it wasn't your idea in the first place. I'm still learning even after all this time. You were able to push Xanxus of all people into doing something that was questionable, sometimes even Reborn."

"It takes time, practice, and experience. And sadly, I've had to go through a lot of all three to get a firm hold on people's personality and movements." There was a short pause. "If you'd like, I can help teach you. Follow you throughout your day like a ghost and start with those that are considered easy and work your way up."

"I'd like that, thanks!"

* * *

Xanxus stormed the Vongola mansion, a dark murderous aura surrounding him as he made his way down the multiple corridors. Mammon was settled on his right shoulder, hanging on for dear life as he maneuvered his body side to side to prevent himself from being thrown off by the force of each and every turn the adult made. People that were in the hallway immediately shifted to the side, pressing against the walls as they freely allowed the raging Varia boss to stride by with no issues or complaints. Some he passed stared for a few moments before turning away, not wanting to be shot by Xanxus, whose fingers were looking a little too twitchy to be normal. Others remained in place behind him, suspicious of the man's arrogant actions as the memories of the past were still fresh in their minds. However, no one stood up to do anything, as much as they wanted to deep within.

Despite the hood obscuring his view, Mammon could visibly read the expressions of the men as they went by and spoke it aloud to Xanxus, hoping that it might calm his boss. They didn't need any more trouble at this point in time, not when it was getting close to the ring battles. "Boss, there's no need to do something like this. Storming in will make it look like you want to attack. There are still many suspicious of you considering the last incident."

"Then they can fuck off. I don't give a shit about some useless trash." the Varia boss sneered, turning the corner to where he could see the main office in sight. Two men guarding the door peered up questionably at him and immediately went on guard, clutching their weapons defensively. Xanxus quickly reacted and yanked out his own, his Wrath flames pooling into the weapon as the end glowed bright orange. "Out of the way, trash! I'm heading in whether you like it or not!"

Pulling the trigger, an explosion was sent off, instantly blasting the two individuals across the rest of the hallway. They weren't dead, unconscious and perhaps a little burned, but alive. It wouldn't do if he got any more bad press among Vongola and he was smart enough to know when he had gone too far. Keeping his gun at his side, he continued on. Only he and Mammon were here in Italy, the rest of his team remaining back in Japan with two of the four keeping an eye on Tsunayoshi and the other two on Iemitsu for his plans. It didn't take long, just a couple hours of searching from Mammon's information banks, to figure out that something foul was in the making and it was too obvious that all of it was circling back to Iemitsu and Nono. Words were being whispered, people were stirring about unusually, and there were attentive eyes on him that weren't ever there before. It was suspicious, too suspicious, and it brought Tsuna's warning to the surface of his mind.

As Xanxus reached the large wooden frames (enforced with metal interior for attacks), he jerked them open with a single kick, almost unhinging them at the force. His eyes landed instantaneously on the man settled peacefully at the desk, Xanxus identifying him as one of the masterminds of this whole operation. Long ago, he had once tried to kidnap the Vongola boss and use his own father to power a machine while placing a double to get himself nominated as an heir, but that plan fell through when they had been surprisingly attacked during the process. To prevent any suspicion, the Varia had gone quiet to keep people from glancing their way and killed off those that were expendable. It got bizarre when Nono suddenly nominated Xanxus a week later, despite them both knowing the truth of his heritage, leading up to the upcoming ring battles.

"Nono! You have some explaining to do!" he sneered, stomping forward. Each step rattled the surrounding furniture, the glass especially, and stalled at the guest sitting area. His jacket fluttered behind him, Mammon still remaining on his shoulder intact.

Vongola Nono simply smiled, unfazed by the abrupt intrusion. "Ah, Xanxus, you're back. I thought you would have been preparing for your fight with Sawada Tsunayoshi. I wasn't even aware you had left Japan until I heard about your arrival in Italy about thirty minutes ago."

Calm and collected, he stood up while keeping his usual warm smile on and strode around his chair by pushing it to the side with one hand. Soon after, he tucked both hands behind his back, hooking them, and leaned over slightly to get a better examination of his youngest son. Eventually, Nono sighed. "But that doesn't excuse you storming in here like that and making a mess. There are better methods to use if you simply wanted to talk to me. I know I taught you that."

"Shut it, old man." Xanxus huffed, unbothered that he was insulting his adoptive father. "I have questions and I want answers for each and every one of them. I'm not leaving until I get them!"

"Questions?" Nono appeared confused for a moment as he mentally thought over Xanxus' words before it cleared, his expression slipping back into its usual poker face. He nodded his head, putting his smile back on. "Ah, what sort of questions do you have for me?"

The Varia boss sneered, despising the other's carefree attitude. "What exactly are you planning between me and Sawada Tsunayoshi? I _know_ there's something strange going on about this fight and I'm not some idiot to not notice it. You have some fucking explaining to do. And I know the foolish External Advisor, Iemitsu, has something to do with it as well."

"Strange?" Nono shook his head soon after. "Not really. As for you and the other heir, I wanted a battle to determine the best amongst you two. I may have never been the best father, but I wanted to give you a chance, the chance you deserve." The Vongola leader went quiet for a second and glanced away towards the window behind him that overlooked the scenic garden and surrounding forestation behind the mansion. The sun created a shadow around him, hiding all emotions on his face. "Well, at that time, I honestly did despite knowing what would happen, but things are changing."

Xanxus narrowed his eyes for a moment. "What do you mean by _that_? Tell me everything! I was told by an informant that someone wanted us to fight to the point of killing each other to make way for another." He refused to give out the real name of his said informant, keeping a few bits to himself. Though he might not always look like it, in the mafia world, no one ever reveals all the cards hidden in and under their sleeves.

At that comment, Nono frankly winced and spun around to peer straight at his son, the shadows hiding half his expression. A flash of honest flickered though his eyes before it was gone. "That's...quite a harsh way of putting it." He sighed softly, settling back into his seat. It was in that instant that it was obvious his age was finally getting to him, the wrinkles more noticeable than usual and the strain surrounding his eyes darkening. "I don't really want that, but I don't see any other way to make this work. There just can't be multiple heirs claiming the throne all at once. Vongola would be torn asunder, divided separately, as they sided with who they thought was best fit for the job."

"So then it's true. There _is_ another person in the background planning things, staging everything." Making a tch sound under his breath, Xanxus took four steps forward, enough so he was standing before the desk, and slammed his hands down onto the wood. It cracked from his strength and, for a second, his hands flamed an orange shade, a reveal to his emotional state of mind. "Who is it? I want to know! I want to know who would want both me and Sawada Tsunayoshi dead!"

" _That would be me_."

Xanxus instantly snapped his head around, hard enough that he felt his neck ache afterwards. Mammon almost tumbled off at the force, but still managed to remain attached, keeping quiet as he observed from underneath his hood. The Varia bosses' eyes settled onto the person at the door that had clearly spoken, purposefully interrupting the present conversation, and felt them momentarily widen as he recognized the individual standing at the doorway. He froze in place, paling slightly as he took the person into consideration. "Impossible..." he whispered, "It's impossible. You're supposed to be..."

"No, it's not and I'm not, Xanxus." the person countered, unable to hide his cunning smile. "And honestly, I don't really want you dead. I wanted you weakened enough to get out of my way for a good couple of months while I took over. It's Sawada Tsunayoshi that I need dead and I was hoping that you would do the job for me during your battle. It was a good plan, honestly, but I guess some things need to be pieced around now that you know the truth. You never were good at following orders directly."

The Varia boss narrowed his eyes, aware that the other had deliberately admitted in desiring both or either of them dead. "So you're just using me to do your dirty work. To do everything while you tug the strings in the shadows until things settle into your favor."

The man chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. "It happens all the time. Why are you so surprised that such a thing would happen to you? This is the mafia. We kill and manipulate all of those around us to get exactly what we want. Anyway, Xanxus, we both know you do the exact same thing to the people around you. Regardless, Iemitsu has already given his consent in having his son killed and anyone connected to him as long as we spare his wife. He didn't even care that much, always ready to please his famiglia even when it demands his own family's destruction."

Xanxus managed to conceal a wince at the harshness, grinding his teeth together instead. To think an actual father wanted his own flesh and blood dead, despite this being the mafia. Even _he_ didn't have that bad of a relation with his old man and that was saying something. With all the trouble he had caused in the past, all the death he had created, all the destruction, Nono never once thought about killing him. Perhaps sealing him away, but it was an effort to preserve his life (though sometimes he thought it to be a fate worse than death, but Xanxus understood the feelings behind it). Sawada Tsunayoshi definitely got the short end of the stick, _literally_. There was no one in Vongola out there to protect him, to cover for him, to stand by his side.

Tsuna only had himself.

"Remember, this is the mafia, Xanxus. Or should I say, little brother?"

* * *

"What do people call you? I'm quite curious, Sin. I'm certain that someone like you would have gained many names over the years."

"That's correct and I have. I've been called multiple things over time. To most, I'm known as one of the many demon kings that rule over Hell, that sends out sentences to create the downfalls of others. I've been given the title of the Blood-Red King due my...tendencies. I'm also better known as the Sorcerer King that rules over magic and is one of the most powerful beings in that field. To a select few, I've been called a God because of my powers that can alter the very fabric of time and space, changing the very notion of what is right and wrong in the universe. However, to you and most people, I'm called 'Sin', short for Sinister."

"But isn't your real name Tsunayoshi?"

"I'm not foolish enough to use my real name. Only a select few know it. I even cover my face with my clock to keep my features a secret and if not. I use a spell to keep people from recognizing me unless necessary. You'd have to be pretty powerful to break through it or at least see though it and there aren't that many considering my strength."

"Why?"

"Why not. I find it better to be safe than sorry. I even use a different form so that I can wander the various dimensions unnoticed. I don't really change much of myself, just my hair color, hair style, and facial structures, but its effective enough to blend in effortlessly. Plus, I think it's best that there aren't two Tsunayoshi's running amok in one world."

"Yeah, that might cause some confusion..."

* * *

Tsuna peered up momentarily from the kitchen table, ignoring the wary stare he got from Reborn in return. The hitman had learned very quickly that whenever Tsuna started moving about unusually, something was bound to happen. It was almost expected at this point.

The brunet closed his book, placing it down onto the table, and momentarily peered towards the side where he could see Nana cleaning up the current mess Iemitsu had created this morning. The blond had gone overboard once more and had drank himself stupor, snoozing absently in the middle of the living room in only his underwear and tank top. He had shoved all the couches and the center table aside, making room for him to sprawl out completely on the hardwood floor without a care in the world. Various empty beer bottles and opened bags of food decorated the area surrounding him, which left Nana with the job of cleaning up. Outside, rows of laundry were lined up, drying in the warm heat of the sun, while the two children played around and in them during their game of tag. Basil, on the other hand, had left to join one of the various teams that were currently placed in Namimori (Tsuna suspecting he was one of the few keeping an eye on Varia), getting back to work considering his original purpose had been concluded and he was fully healed. All in all, it looked like a pleasant serene setting but everyone (except for Nana and the kids) knew that it would only take one little thing to upset the delicate balance and tip it over.

It was the late afternoon and earlier that day, all of Tsuna's friends had slowly made their way over to the Sawada household to greet him (and, for some, to check up on him). It was the weekend after all, so it wasn't surprising. However, it was noticeably obvious they could pick up the uneasiness between Tsuna and his father, the latter ignoring everything and resting on the floor like there was nothing wrong in the world, and in turn, between his friends as well. Takeshi had peered at the individual momentarily, blinking in astonishment, and had taken one look at Tsuna's face before his lips straightened into a thin line. He threw a slight glare at the father before spinning around and throwing an arm around the brunet, pulling him closer with a ready warm grin.

"Tsuna, if you need a place to crash, you're always welcomed at mine."

The brunet's lips twitched, almost breaking out into a smile to return the gesture. Instead, he leaned closer into the embrace and patted Takeshi on the arm. "Thank you, but I'm fine."

Hayato offered the exact same thing, sayingthat his apartment was open for extra guests even though his sister was staying with him. It was clear there was a strong loathe for Iemitsu shared among the group, something they could easily sense from their boss despite the brunet's face remaining utterly blank. Reborn, on the other hand, smirked in amusement, glad to see that these two were getting better at reading Tsuna's silent aura.

Surprisingly, Ryohei came by a little later with a blond-haired baby. Said baby was being carried by a flying falcon and the obvious blue pacifier instantly told the brunet the identity of said individual. The noise the two brought with them hadn't even disturbed the father of the household, but that might be because they were outside rather than in. Tsuna examined the Rain Arcobaleno, Colonello, from his spot at the doorway, who was obviously here to train his sun guardian, and nodded his head in respect. They didn't get a chance to talk though as Reborn and Colonello suddenly butted heads, literally, and argued over their training skills/methods in the background. Ryohei simply laughed at the persistent disagreement while Tsuna remained quiet. Though, he did shake his head at the excitement the trio brought with them.

When the sun guardian suddenly decided to break out into a run, Colonello used his animal partner to keep up, cutting their visit short. Soon after, Hibari strolled by, making his typical rounds in Namimori and for a second, their eyes caught sight of each other before the cloud guardian was gone, disappearing behind the wall.

Tsuna found it a little funny that in one way or another, he had seen everyone in just a few hours but, he couldn't find himself honestly minding it. It was days like this that made him feel... normal. Once everyone had come and gone, Tsuna and Reborn disappeared into the kitchen to relax, the latter sipping on some coffee that had been made by the brunet. It was a quiet day despite the interruptions and the peacefulness was almost infectious. However, Tsuna and Reborn both knew that silence never lasted long. It was bound to be interrupted once more, which brought them back to their current situation.

A few seconds after Tsuna had put down his book and turned to the side to stare at the living room, a chilly gust of air slid in, one that those related to the mafia instantaneously recognized. A shiver fell down everyone's backs as they tensed (the brunet unaffected and looking quite indifferent), sensing numerous dark auras suddenly appearing in the area. Reborn almost dropped his cup of coffee in shock, his black eyes wide, while Iemitsu immediately sprang straight up from his position on the floor, ignoring the surprised gasp that followed from Nana. The rattling of chains simply made that single name, the identity of these individuals, echo in everyone's minds.

 _Vindice_.

Within moments, Reborn and Iemitsu were storming their way out to the front yard, the latter slamming the door wide open for the both of them. The icy air that came blasting through made the two shudder once more and Reborn immediately reached up to hold onto his fedora and, in turn, Leon, from being blown off his head from the force. Out in the front yard held three presences, the chains surrounding them rattling and their cloaks swirling as the wind blew around them. They stood imposing as always, faces bandaged up carefully to never reveal their hidden identities underneath.

"Vindice..." Iemitsu muttered under his breath, unable to hide the shock in his tone. He had never expected them of all people to show up and to make such a personal visit. It was almost unheard of. "What are you...doing _here_?"

None of the three guards spoke, remaining impassive to the question. The one that was in front, acting as the leader, raised a hand and tugged at the chains that were connected to him. It was only then that the two noticed the three bodies that were on lying aimlessly on the ground. Reborn's eyes widened a fracture, recognizing one of them at once. It was impossible not to with those multi-colored eyes peering straight at him and purple pineapple-shaped hair.

Mukuro...

And if the group was here, then that meant-

"I take it the information checked out?" Tsuna's voice was like an icy slice that snapped everyone's attention towards the back where the brunet was slowly easing his way down the hallway to the front door. He didn't look surprised, just calm as always, and stepped out from the house and into the open area. He placed some distance between himself and Iemitsu, knowing the other was glaring accusingly yet questionably towards him. "After all, there would be no other reason for you to be here unless it did, especially with the ones I requested you to release lying before me."

The leader of the group chuckled darkly and yanked the chains up once more, forcing the three teenagers on the floor to their feet. They were dressed completely the same as the last time they had seen each other, nothing different. The three boys struggled to remain standing, letting out a small groan when the Vindice guard ended up tugging a little too hard on their sore skin, reddening the flesh underneath. However, despite everything, Mukuro's eyes remained on the brunet, inspecting him ever so cautiously. It was clear the fire within hadn't quite burned out.

"The deal is complete." the leader of the three Vindice guards spoke. The chains that were wrapped around the three boys fell away, releasing them. The teenagers simply grunted at the sudden tug backwards, collapsing to the ground like dolls that had their strings cut. Neither of them moved, terrified that if they did, they would be captured once more by the guards for simply being an annoyance. Mukuro, however, eventually did shift, his multi-colored eyes peering straight up, once more staring at Tsuna. "We will release these three criminals into your custody. However, if they are to do anything to disobey the mafia laws, we will not hesitate to arrest them once more."

"I understand."

Despite the conclusion of the deal, the leader remained standing in place, staring at the Vongola heir inquiringly. "Sawada Tsunayoshi, we're quite curious. I must ask _where_ exactly you got that information of yours. We have been searching for this man for years and yet never had such a...lead."

Reborn snapped his eyes over, knowing precisely what they were talking about. It was regarding the information on Checker Face. The deal being completed meant that his enemy had been found, but was he alive or did he escape? That was the more crucial question he wanted to bring up. However, he remained quiet, not wanting to interrupt. Iemitsu's face, on the other hand, was clearly brimming with questions and yet he too remained silent, observing the entirety of the setting carefully from the sidelines.

Tsuna shrugged his shoulders. "Let's just say I know what hides within the very corner of the world, seeable or not. Just like how I know the truth of your existence, Vindice." It was vague, but it was enough to settle the leader's interest. "Now then, I know what you want, more information regarding _him._ Sadly, I'm afraid I don't have anything worth giving. Not at this current time anyway. However, you shouldn't worry much. He only has a little more time before he ceases to exist."

Reborn's eyebrows shot up at that declaration, hope momentarily filling his heart and eyes, unbothered that his mask had cracked. It seemed even the Vindice had frozen up at the admission, peering at each other curiously as if wondering whether they had heard properly. The hitman stepped closer, staring up at the brunet, and watched as Tsuna glanced at him from the corner of his eyes with a small smile.

The Sorcerer King muttered some words, not loud enough for anyone but Reborn to hear. "Soon, Reborn. Very soon."

The sun Arcobaleno felt his heart flutter.

"Interesting," the leader of the three Vindice guards spoke up, a light chuckle on his bandaged-covered lips. "How very interesting. It seems our boss was correct in observing you closely, Sawada Tsunayoshi, and we shall. But for now, we'll take our leave." As he spoke, one of the two guards behind him opened a shadowy portal, large enough to let all three of them slip in. As they spun around, they peered straight at the brunet, expressions unreadable considering the bandages, but Tsuna could sense the atmosphere surrounding them. They were excited, distrustful, and even had a mix of hopefulness. It was clear they all despised Checker Face considering their fates, too obvious. The portal closed shut the moment the last guard went through, taking the chilliness and gusts of wind with them. The air was silent, no one moving at first as if wondering if everything that had just happened actually did.

Eventually, Tsuna was the first one to stir, humming gently to himself, and peered straight at the three teenagers on the floor. Stepping over, he outstretched his right hand for Mukuro to grab.

"Here," It was a simple gesture, one that snapped everyone's minds out of their frozen state.

The illusionist stared at the hand for a second, as if comprehending the notions behind it, before finally grasping the warm limb with surrendering reluctance. With strength he hadn't expected from the brunet, he was pulled up to his feet, the others following behind. "Sawada Tsunayoshi..."

"Sorry it had to take so long, you know how the Vindice operates or are at least familiar with them. They don't like to let things go that easily." The immortal's lips curled up to a small cunning smile, almost chuckling when the other fell dead silent. Chikusa and Ken were watching curiously from the background, letting their leader handle everything. "They can get quite possessive at times, though well hidden, about their prisoners."

"A-Ah..." Mukuro wasn't sure how to respond to that, feeling slightly embarrassed for some weird reason. "I suppose."

"Tsuna," Iemitsu's voice broke through the beginning of a somewhat bubbly setting, his voice as cold as the essence Vindice brought with them. His blue eyes gazed at the brunet distrustfully, obviously filled with hate, and had his arms crossed tightly against his chest. From his position, he was looking down on the brunet, holding back from outwardly attacking the other in front of everyone. Somehow the rest of household members had remained within, never noticing the commotion that was happening outside, and if they did, they ignored it. "You want to explain this so-called deal with Vindice? And these people are criminals. They deserve to rot in their cages after what they've done, not be free to cause more trouble."

Mukuro's eyes instantly snapped towards the blond, narrowing ever so slightly at the insult. His fingers twitched, desiring his weapon and illusions, but kept silent. The illusionist had originally known about the comments the CEDEF boss held towards his son, but to actually see it in person... He sneered angrily. He always hated it whenever parents never really loved their children, him being a product of that negligence and cruelty.

Meanwhile, both Tsuna and Reborn remained calm and were staring at the adult with dislike, neither of them fond of the man. For the hitman, it didn't take much to tell that Iemitsu was planning something horrible, something that would no doubt hurt Tsuna. Reborn didn't like that at all. He refused to allow anything horrible to happen to the brunet. He cared for him. Reborn blinked at that passing thought before shaking his head, focusing on the idiot blond once more. He couldn't be thinking of such things at this time.

On the other hand, Tsuna hummed gently to himself, unaffected by the stare. "And why exactly should I tell you anything? I don't believe that it's any of your business and anyway, aren't you a criminal as well? Mafia men aren't exactly known for their good nature, so you can't really speak for others. You have willingly killed people all for the sake of Vongola, whether it be an order or not."

Iemitsu sneered angrily before ultimately spinning away, storming back into the household. He purposely slammed the door shut behind him out of frustration, the bang that followed echoing into the quiet neighborhood. Reborn just huffed, flicking his fedora up momentarily before jumping into Tsuna's waiting arms, burying himself into the warmth. He was sick and tired of Iemitsu, not understanding why such an idiot had been a boss for so long.

Mukuro, Chikusa, and Ken just stared in wonder, unsure on what to do next. They were all glad and completely grateful for their release, but at the same time, they didn't know what to do afterwards. They all wanted to destroy the mafia, but being arrested by Vindice, hunted down like animals, and being treated like dirt, placed a huge damper on their ideals. The illusionist wanted to continue creating madness among the world, to make everyone pay for what they had done to him, however...

Mukuro, being the leader of the three, spoke up first. There was one question he had been dying to ask the Vongola heir, one that had been circling around his mind continuously since his arrest. "Sawada Tsunayoshi, why did you save us?"

"Save you?" Tsuna spoke up, tilting his head to the side, as he rotated his body towards the illusionist and away from the front door.

"Yes, as your father stated," Mukuro didn't miss the slight narrowing of those honey-colored eyes at his choice of words and quickly corrected himself. "As Iemitsu stated, we're criminals. We've done horrible things; we've even attacked you and your friends. We deserved what came to us. So why save us?"

The brunet simply stared, blinking once before shrugging his shoulders awkwardly with Reborn in his arms. "Why not? I'm not about to let you suffer if I can help it. And anyway, we were actually companions somewhere else."

For a minute, Mukuro looked a little shocked, eyebrows twitching in confusion as he tried to understand those last few words, even Reborn appeared questionable. "Companions? Somewhere else?"

"Yes, in a different dimension." Tsuna announced, gaining some startled looks from the group. Even Chikusa and Ken were looking towards each other in bewilderment, thinking that something was strange about the brunet, maybe even crazy. "I do hope you remember our conversation during our little fight about Hell. I wasn't exactly kidding when I mentioned it. I'm not originally from around here. I'd also like to mention that I'm not taking over Vongola so I suggest you give up on trying to control my body. There is a much better candidate available if you're really that desperate to continue your plans."

It was just minor details, not enough to squash any curiosity from everyone, but it was enough to gather some information on his identity. If anything, Mukuro was more fascinated than before and just like Vindice, he too wanted to keep an eye on the brunet. Still, everything just rounded out to another question. "Why are you telling me all this? You're got nothing to gain from it."

"Because I want to and I would like you to become friends with everyone I know." Tsuna smiled momentarily. It was weak, but it was convincing enough to those that saw it. "It's not good to go through this world alone even though you have two very loyal people at your side. People change and move on, but I know for a fact that if you remain with us, we'll always be there when you need us the most. It'll be like having another family that aren't exactly related to you by blood, but will love you regardless even with your strange tendencies. Well, if you can accept ours, of course."

Mukuro didn't answer, not trusting himself to speak up when he felt his heart being strung along. He wanted to believe the other, but at the same time, he didn't want to either. After everything that had happened to him in the past, he wanted to keep away, to remain safe, but some things just didn't happen the way he wanted them to. Ah, the essence of life.

Tsuna noticed the hesitancy and continued, changing the subject. "So where will you be staying? Do you have anywhere to go? I wouldn't mind offering mine, but Iemitsu won't exactly be friendly the entire visit. He won't hesitate in attempting to send you back to prison just to irritate me."

The illusionist was finding everything so hard to keep up with. One moment he had been chained up, the next he was having a friendly conversation with his once-enemy. Still, he already had an idea on where to go. "Kufufu, back to the old amusement park grounds. We've built a temporary home there even before the arrest. It's not the best, but it'll make due."

"I see." Tsuna leaned back before digging into his right pocket, slipping out his wallet that Reborn hadn't noticed was there before. Pulling out a couple bills, he handed them over. "Here, take this. Use it to get something to eat for tonight and try to eat healthy, not junk food." Before Mukuro could argue, he shoved it forward. "And no, you will take the money. I'm not leaving you out on your own without something to pick yourselves up with." Stepping back, Tsuna's expression went back to its blank poker face, keeping a tight grip around Reborn. "You're always welcome to come back here anytime to visit, especially during meals. I would appreciate it though if you text me in advance so that we can get enough food to cover three extra guests."

Mukuro glanced at the money, counting it briefly in one hand, before snapping his eyes back up. "That's quite a bit there, Tsunayoshi."

"Just call me, Tsuna. It's easier. And I suggest you head out soon and get your place ready for the night. I believe it's supposed to be a little chilly tonight."

Mukuro simply smirked, shaking his head. He was still having a difficult time accepting everything that had occurred. It would take time, but he would get there eventually. He gave a small nod as thanks, figuring that this conversation was over, before stepping back to peer at Ken and Chikusa, both of whom were still silent in the background. The two glanced between the brunet and hitman, unsure on what to say or do next. Meanwhile, Tsuna simply stared back before spinning to the side, making it clear that he was about to head back inside the house.

Finally, Chikusa spoke. "Thanks for the help."

"Yeah, thanks." Ken followed up. They were still hesitating, peering between their boss and the immortal.

Tsuna simply nodded his head before glancing at Mukuro once more. There was still one last thing he needed to say before he went back inside the household. He knew there would be a growth of issues between himself and Iemitsu, just waiting to explode the second he entered but he didn't care. Let the tension escalate. Let Iemitsu stew in his little corner. "By the way, Mukuro, try visiting Namimori hospital tomorrow, specifically the fourth floor. You might find someone interesting there."

Mukuro gave his signature laugh, "Kufufufu." His eyes had a little spark within them, already taking that information into consideration with a smirk. As the trio disappeared around the corner of the front yard, Tsuna peered down at Reborn for a moment before striding towards the house, readying himself to enter. He was going to have to spend most of the night avoiding his so-called father's questioning and demanding gazes, but it wasn't as if it was something new.

"Tsuna," Reborn called from within Tsuna's arms, gazing up dubiously. When he caught the brunet's attention, he continued, "When exactly are you going to tell me what's going on? I'm still waiting your answers."

The Sorcerer King chuckled softly, tightening his grip around the baby gently. "Once things have gotten a little safe. At this time, we need to tread carefully. With Iemitsu in the house, anything can happen and I'd rather not slip something to alert him of my plans for the future."

The sun Arcobaleno tugged down on his fedora, covering his eyes completely. He was disappointed and yet considerate at the same time. Things were getting dangerous and traveling towards a path he didn't quite like. He sneered silently to himself, sensing that something horrible was about to happen soon. He just hoped that it was his imagination.

The next day, Mukuro and his little crew transferred into Namimori middle and the whole school became the deadly location of a massive uproar as the illusionist and Hibari fought to the very brink of death on the rooftop before progressing throughout the school's entire campus. Only destruction lingered behind and those that were in their warpath were blown away, immediately sent to the hospital for treatment. It didn't help when Takeshi and Hayato got dragged into the middle of it or when Ryohei came running from the opposite side of the school to participate willingly in said battle.

As the five teenagers clashed, Tsuna and Reborn just observed from the sidelines. They would help with taking care of the fallen bodies afterwards, probably...

Classes were obviously canceled for the rest of the day.

Or week considering that none of the classrooms were salvageable.

* * *

Reborn stared down at his personal cell phone and examined guardedly as it rang momentarily in wonder. The brightness of the screen reflected off his eyes as it flashed on and off, but his fingers remained still over the green acceptance symbol as he processed the name of the caller. It was Vongola Nono. He knew he should answer his bosses' call, but there was a sense of dread filling his entire body. He didn't want to. He didn't want to talk to Vongola Nono. He knew his reports on Tsunayoshi had been minimal at best, so vague that there was no way to understand the truth of the matter, never revealing anything that was really going on with the heir. However, he knew this couldn't be related to that.

He just knew what this conversation would bring about.

With a heavy, reluctant sigh, he swiped the screen and accepted the call. Placing the phone against his ear, he answered. "This is Reborn."

"Ah, Reborn." The familiar tone of Nono's voice welcomed him, but that didn't ease Reborn's worries. "It's good to hear your voice, old friend. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yes, since I came to Namimori to train Tsuna." Reborn knew the other was trying to place a calm aura around them, but it clearly wasn't working. Not one to beat around the bush, the hitman bluntly replied, "Why have you called, Nono? It can't be about Tsuna."

The older individual on the line chuckled momentarily. "As always, Reborn, straight to the point." There was a pause that followed before Nono spoke once more. "I need you to come back to Headquarters. There's been some changes that I need you to be aware of."

"I thought you wanted me to take priority in Sawada Tsunayoshi's training over anything else." Reborn covered up the stress in his tone, not wanting to reveal anything that was clouding his mind. He could tell they were reaching a point of no return, one he didn't want to push over. His eyes momentarily glanced towards Tsuna, who was settled near the table in the center of the bedroom. The brunet was reading a book as usual, focusing on the words rather than the present conversation. "You'll have to tell me exactly _why_ you want me to come back so suddenly if you want me to move from my current position. My job is to train Sawada Tsunayoshi to become the next Vongola boss, nothing else."

"Reborn..." the elderly voice, filled with exhaustion, sighed. "Federico is alive."

Reborn blinked and then blinked again. No… That wasn't possible. Nono's son was dead. He had seen the remains. There was no way in hell it was possible. It just _wasn't_ probable for someone evidently dead to come back to life. It had to be a trick, someone attempting to steal his place. "That's impossible..."

There was a followed sigh, "I thought so too until he was revealed a month ago, found in a coma induced sleep and hidden in a cage of an abandoned warehouse. He doesn't remember anything on what happened or how, just that he's been sleeping the entire time. I had every doctor I trust test him to make sure that he was actually real, screenings, blood work. Anything you can name, I've done it. Regardless, they're all positive in identifying him as none other than my Federico. I don't know what happened, but I somehow got one of my sons back."

Reborn didn't reply, his fingers tightening around the phone. It was only then that things were beginning to make sense. This one extra individual would change everything and indeed it had even before it had taken effect. There was an official heir now in position, ready to take the throne away from Tsuna, and Iemitsu was clearly working with him. Everything had become so ridiculously understandable. He couldn't believe it. No wonder Tsuna had been adamant in saying there was someone else. His eyes glanced towards the brunet curiously, wondering how this new information was going to affect them both. There couldn't be two heirs (Xanxus not counting) to Vongola, one was going to have to give up and he knew exactly who would do so. There was also the issue considering that this was the mafia and that it was normal to kill off the competition...

"Reborn." Nono's voice spoke once more, but he was in his little world. "Reborn. Reborn!"

The hitman snapped out of it and shuffled a little to get comfortable. "I'm here."

"I see." There was a strain in Nono's voice as if recognizing something within the Arcobaleno's voice, but it wasn't brought up. "Anyway, I need you to head to Headquarters as quickly as possible to get things settled regarding this new change. You're going to have to be included in this since you're in pretty deep."

"What about Tsuna?" Reborn brought up the real question on his mind, he couldn't avoid it, he wouldn't.

At the shuffling on the other side, he could already tell that it would be an awkward conversation. "That's also what I wanted to talk about when you get back. I don't want to do this over the phone if possible."

Reborn sneered, knowing that his boss was bluntly avoiding the question. "I see. Understood." There was a noticeable strain in his voice, clearly disliking the order. He didn't want to go anywhere. Immediately hanging up on his boss, the hitman spun towards the brunet and bit down on his bottom lip out of frustration. Everything had been thrown out of whack and he wasn't sure it was going to settle anytime soon or peacefully for that matter. This had to be something the brunet had predicted from the very beginning. "Tsuna…"

The brunet peered with a raised eyebrow. "What?"

"I've been ordered to return to Italy." Reborn muttered and stepped closer to the teenager, no, not teenager. Tsuna was like him, a being older in mind than body, and sometimes it was hard to remember that even though he was in same the exact position.

"I see. I'm guessing that they're going to decide whether to let the previous heir take over considering I've wanted nothing to do with any of this." Tsuna almost chuckled, closing his book gently. "And that means you won't be needed to tutor me anymore. You'll be free considering the deal you had with Nono will be cut short, yes?"

Reborn didn't have an answer to that. This change meant a lot to him. It meant his contract with Vongola was up, that he didn't have to be here anymore, and that he would need to return to Vongola to forge a new one if he wanted to continue working with the organization or return as a freelance hitman. Yet… that very thought didn't make him happy. Gripping his phone, almost about to snap it in half, he sighed as he tried to force his body to relax and not go on a crazy frenzy out of mere frustration. Walking around the table so that he could be next to the brunet, he flopped beside him tiredly before leaning over, tilting his fedora to the side. He didn't know what to think at this very minute and shifted closer to the other, using a leg as a pillow before sighing heavily, sensing Leon shift at his awkward movement.

He didn't want to leave his so-called student yet. For once, he felt like he was at home, like he was welcomed, was safe. Though they had started out shaky, secretly snarling at each other, after getting past all that and actually getting to know one another, they had become extremely close. Reborn hadn't noticed it until it was too late, or more like, when it was right before his face.

Tsuna understood him, saw past his current form to the real one, and he had even befriended him. He didn't want to leave the other. Not yet. Not when there were so many things he didn't understand and so desperately wanted to string everything out from the other. Tsuna was a never-ending, complex puzzle that would slither out hints now and then, but never a complete answer to tie everything together into a perfect neat little bow.

Regardless of his wishes, the sun Arcobaleno would need to head back to Nono for the meeting. There was no doubt about it, no way to get around it.

Neither spoke, Reborn still deep in thought, obviously dropping his guard enough to allow Tsuna to puck his fedora with Leon off and observe from the corner of his dark eyes as it was carefully placed onto the table. Soft tender hands ran through his hair as if trying to comfort him and he hummed in approval, closing his eyes. Sleep can come first, he could always think about his situation later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Such a long chapter to make up the lack of update.
> 
> Anyway, I'm currently working on three other fanfics. The two containing Tsuna as 'Sin'/'Sinister' from here as a main character as these fics were born from Tsuna's interactions with other dimensions, the last as a minor unimportant appearance. I like it this way since I don't have to keep creating OCs to take their place each and every time.


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of information in this chapter and more hinting to the future. Enjoy!
> 
> Also Happy New Years! A gift for you all!
> 
> Beta'd by Pure Red Crane

"So how exactly did you become _companions_ with Mukuro? That, I don't understand."

"Hmm, it's honestly not an easy story to tell. It's quite dark as it deals with when Mukuro was a child and being experimented on by the Estraneo Famiglia."

"I don't understand. What do you mean by that?"

"Remember when I said that I like to interfere with worlds and change certain events in the timelines? Well, this is basically the same case. I was curious as to what would happen if I helped Mukuro escape from the Estraneo before he decided to kill everyone out of revenge. However, in the end, there weren't many changes between the one in this world and the one I met. What the Estraneo Famiglia did to him forever changed his mind set and there wasn't much I could do to fix that without altering his personality completely. Just to let you know, if I did something like that, he wouldn't be Mukuro anymore."

"Oh, and here I was hoping that perhaps Mukuro lived a much happier life."

"Hmmm... I believe he did since I ended up getting roped into his little gang. I had the appearance of a teenager at that time, disguising myself with my human one, to blend in with the age group. I became the voice of reason and would help push Mukuro towards a different, less violent, direction than what he originally desired. Because of that, we weren't hunted down by Vindice or the rest of the mafia. I will admit I was able to get those three idiots along with Chrome later on to eat correctly than just stuffing themselves silly with junk food. They didn't exactly appreciate my 'nagging' on the subject matter."

"Hahaha, that _does_ sound a little better. I'm actually glad to hear that."

"However, my appearance in the group caused disturbances. Mukuro didn't gravitate towards the Tsuna of that world. He remained by me because, despite everything I've done in the past, I'm still considered a sky bearer and could pull people towards me just as easily as any other Tsuna could. As my flames were no longer pure, tainted from my past, I don't use them. Magic is my main use, though if in my human form, I tend to lean towards blades and physical combat. Just to note, dying will flames can't harm demons, they're useless against them."

"Sin, as much I love hearing this information about dying will flames and magic, you're drifting."

"Ah, my apologies. Anyway, because Mukuro refused to leave my side, I had to take my own life to get fate back onto its correct path..."

* * *

"Sin!"

The immortal peered up hazily as a voice and slam beside him caught his attention, staring up at those concerned multi-colored eyes. He smirked in amusement, letting out a hint of sound. It wasn't often he was able to see such emotions fluttering through Mukuro's face, staring at him in a mixture of fear and despair. He coughed at the thought, spitting out blood and splattering it across his chest. It was only then that he remembered his wound, a large gaping hole in his chest and abdomen after having taken an attack that had been aimed at both Mukuro and the Tsuna of this world, which would have killed either one of them instantly. It no doubt had taken care of the lower half of his lungs, most of his intestines, and nicked his heart. He was dying. Well, _somewhat dying_.

Honestly, Sin was just pretending. He needed to be out of the picture to allow the illusionist to bond with the Tsuna of this world and this was the best way to do it. His presence here was unnecessary and it was time for him to slip away, to allow this timeline to progress forward. He figured dying was the best way to accomplish that since outright disappearing would cause Mukuro to go looking for him instead, scouring the world for his existence. At least, this way, it would be final and the illusionist would finally give into joining Tsuna's group as the mist guardian.

"Mukuro..." Sin whispered, smiling weakly as the purple-haired male cradled his broken body. He could hear the fighting in the background, rage decorating their voices as they fought back viciously at their enemies. He could see this world's Tsuna leaning over him, those orange-eyes filled with despair despite the glowing effect they had. "Don't look so sad." He tried to make himself sound strained, like the wounds hurt, but he couldn't. The pain was there, but he had felt much _worse_ before. This agony was nothing compared to how he had suffered in the past. "This is for the best..."

The illusionist's eyes widen momentarily, opening his mouth to speak, but Sin wouldn't allow him.

"No, it's for the best." Sin didn't smile. He never really could get his lips to twitch upward correctly. A small one was all he could do. "Now go, fight with Tsuna to save the rest of your companions. It wouldn't be good if someone else died today." Trying to appear struggling, he shoved himself out of Mukuro's arms and flinched when the ground agitated his wounds. His body was already healing and it would take only moments before the gaping hole in his body was completely gone. "Go, you idiot. Save them." He coughed up another spray of blood, struggling to breathe as a pool of blood surrounded him underneath. A normal person wouldn't last this long with a wound like this, the blood loss ultimately getting to them. Of course, he wasn't normal.

In the end, with much reluctance, Mukuro and Tsuna had to abandon him to his 'fate' when he decisively went still and took care of the remaining enemies, leaving Sin alone on his side of the battlefield. Everyone else was concentrating on survival, no one paying attention to their fallen comrade that had taken his apparent last breath, not even their enemies.

Sin huffed, reaching up to wipe the blood off his lips. It was a good time as any to vanish now.

Sitting up, he briefly peered down at his wound and found it already fully healed underneath his battered clothes. As he sighed, he snapped his fingers and forced the world to stop moving. The battlefield stilled as if frozen into place. Time magic, something he loved to take advantage of and had learned from the King of Time. Standing up, he dusted himself off before giving a small wave of his hand as he returned back to his original adult form. His long black hair that was tied back into a ponytail had turned to its usual caramel-colored spikiness, his dark brown eyes went back to the orange-tinged honey color, and his facial structure morphed back to its original state. He hadn't changed much of himself, just enough that he couldn't be placed into the same resemblance as the other brunet here in this dimension.

Taking one last look at those he had spent time with for the last few years, he rotated away and teleported out. It was time for him to take his leave. However, that didn't mean he couldn't watch them in the distance.

Sin sighed heavily. He was beginning to become soft-hearted.

* * *

_Present time_

Reborn had left for Italy first thing in the morning to have his 'talk' with Nono, leaving Tsuna all alone in the household with the children, his mother, and his father. Well, not really to the later. Iemitsu had disappeared soon after, apparently being called in for work, which suited Tsuna just fine. He was getting tired of the constant gazes the man threw at him whenever they stepped into view of each other and without the blond man around the vicinity, it was easier to move about. However, the depression that fell over Nana once Iemitsu left made him sigh in exhaustion and immediately sent the two children her way to help cheer her up. They were better at it than he was. Creating happiness had never been his specialty or thing for that matter. He only created a trail of despair and destruction behind and that wasn't going to change anytime soon.

As he plotted his future course of action, Tsuna snuck out of the house the second Nana returned to her merry self and decided to head somewhere else for the day, considering the incident between Mukuro and Hibari had closed down the school for a week's worth of repairs. He sent a quick text message to Takeshi and Hayato, knowing those two would be occupied with their own things for the day as they continued to train for the so-called future Varia battles. Tsuna didn't mind, he wanted them to get stronger for future conflicts and he knew there would be plenty to go through.

Striding through the buzzing neighborhood, he ignored the various stares he received from those he passed by, adults and students from his school alike. Luckily, no one bothered him, well aware of his status among the populace, and he didn't stop walking until he found the exact location he was searching for, peering over the construction site momentarily. A mall or, well, what was supposed to be a mall. He knew that it was Byakuran's underground mafia base for the Gesso famiglia, trying to settle closer to Namimori to be within reach of him. Snooping inside, he maneuvered around the oblivious construction crew, who were still busy with the upper layer of the main base, the hidden underneath layer already completed. Tsuna continued to elude the men, ducking under hanging metal rods or evading to the side when one of the buckets fell from above. He eventually arrived at an elevator door that was towards the back center of the site and peered up at the obvious camera attached to the top. His honey-colored eyes spotted the obvious rotating lens, focusing on him, before deciding to ignore it as he pressed a button on the keypad below that acted as a call bell for the contraption.

He didn't have to wait long before the elevator door opened with a loud 'ding', suspecting his presence had obviously been notified to the head boss. As he stepped inside, he heard the camera shift to follow him, tracking his every movement, and glanced around the interior of the elevator, spotting no panel to activate for his desired destination. Clearly, the doors were remote controlled for safety, letting the security department below handle everything in the background. The doors closed before him, dulling out the noisy atmosphere of construction, and soon he was moving downward in momentum, closing his eyes in content.

It's been a while since he's last seen Byakuran, but he knew the other was busy with his own development in this dimension, establishing his prominent placement for the future. It was evident the white-haired male was using his alternate memories of other worlds to boost his advantage, not that Tsuna cared, finding it more to his advantage than otherwise. For what he planned, Byakuran needed to stand near the top of the mafia world. As the elevator came to a stop and the metal doors pulled back, four men were waiting patiently on the other side, all heavily armed to the teeth, and stared at him suspiciously.

Tsuna almost huffed, hands in his pocket. "I'm here to see Byakuran, the marshmallow idiot. I know he's here."

His little insult sent a spark among the men, half immediately grabbing their weapons in defense of their boss. No one attacked though, glaring hatefully instead. Tsuna suspected it was Byakuran's strict orders that stopped them. Eventually, they relented and rotated around to head down the hallway, obvious that they wanted him to follow behind. Tsuna sighed in annoyance, but complied, trailing behind the men through the numerous pathways until they arrived at a double door. Inside, he could sense nine individuals, all bundled close together near the back, and he closed his eyes temporarily, already knowing who each and every one of them was.

As the doors opened, physically revealing the occupants inside, Tsuna couldn't help but examine each one by habit. He could make out the obvious Gesso group, the Funeral Wreaths (minus the lightning guardian) with Byakuran as the leader, settled to one side, laughing about something while the boss was happily stuffing marshmallows into his mouth. Well, more like Bluebell and Zakuro were arguing while Kikyo was trying to break them apart with no success. Daisy and Torikabuto quietly remained to the side, observing the scene with interest (though it was physically hard to tell considering the mask and poker face). Tsuna spotted Shoichi Irie on the opposite side of the group, looking nervous as he stared at the arguing duo before glancing over his right shoulder towards his companion, Spanner. Both were on their computers, working on something that couldn't be seen from the brunet's present location. Tsuna almost smirked. Byakuran was _definitely_ taking advantage of his memories to piece together his group once more, including Spanner. It was the last person that made Tsuna pause.

All he had to take was one single look to know exactly _who_ this person was. Her long black hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, a familiar orange flower tattoo under her left eye, and those gentle blue orbs blinked curiously back at him. She lacked the sky Arcobaleno pacifier and the mushroom hat, but that was because she hadn't taken over as boss just yet, her mother still alive. Tsuna hummed to himself. He had expected the current Giglio Nero Boss and sky Arcobaleno, Aria, to keep a closer eye on her daughter, but perhaps not.

All nine pairs of eyes turned towards him curiously as the door hissed completely open, most filled with hesitance as they didn't recognize the brunet, but Byakuran and Yuni were the ones to break it.

"Tsuna!"

"Ah, Tsunayoshi!"

Byakuran stood up from his chair, placing his sugary treats onto the table beside him, and stepped forward. Stepping forward, his face was wide with his familiar crooked grin and he chuckled in amusement. "So you've finally come to visit me! And here I was beginning to get lonely without you~"

Yuni came rushing up beside him, smiling brightly as she followed, her little white dress fluttering around her. "It's so good to finally met you, Sawada Tsunayoshi. I've heard of such good things about you."

Tsuna almost wanted to roll his eyes. "I'm sure." The guards behind him disappeared behind the closing of the doors, leaving him alone with the group of nine. "But whatever you've heard about me is completely wrong and sadly, I'm not here for friendly conversations."

The white-haired teen pouted, looking thoroughly disappointed. "I expected so. Friendly conversations are just so rare these days! Such a shame~" He hummed gently and spun around, heading back towards his spot in the back. He motioned the other to follow him, which Tsuna did with Yuni beside him. As Byakuran took his seat, he patted the one beside him, the intention obvious. "Come, sit next to me. We don't get to be this close in the other dimensions. You've always so cautious of me. Of course, you're not exactly the same Tsuna as them, but it was like they were always scared of me."

"Not surprising..." Shoichi muttered from the side, pushing his glasses up along the bridge of his nose. "You have a horrible sense of self when it comes to being serious."

"That's mean, Shoichi." Byakuran pouted fleetingly before spinning his attention back to the brunet, who had sat beside him without any hesitation. Yuni went to the opposite side, keeping Tsuna in between them, and remained quiet as she waited for the Sorcerer King to speak. The Funeral Wreaths immediately crowded around the group, peering at the brunet suspiciously, while Spanner and Shoichi remained in their spots. It was clear the Wreaths weren't too familiar with the brunet, though the recognition in their eyes clearly stated they had heard about him from their boss. "So, what exactly did you come here for? I'm quite curious."

Tsuna sighed for a second, closing his eyes before reopening them. He sat straight in his chair, clearly serious about the upcoming matter. Though Byakuran didn't show it, he knew the signs and simply waited. "I'm about to be declared an enemy of Vongola and I'll need you to take me into your Famiglia as well as anyone else I'm connected to for protection."

Everyone froze as that information settled into their minds, their attention fully focusing on the brunet. All ears were open to listen as the friendly atmosphere vanished, understanding the severity of the situation.

Even Byakuran had stilled, his right hand that had been holding a marshmallow freezing into place. The white-haired male's purple eyes opened wider, a frown settling onto his features, and instead of continuing to eat the sweet, he crushed it in his hand. Ignoring the sensation of the gooeyness between his fingers, he sneered, " _What_?" Without meaning to, his sky flames activated within the palm of his hands, roasting the marshmallow to ashes. "How and why?"

Tsuna tilted his head back against the chair, his bangs sliding along his forehead, and huffed. "Federico is alive and as such, there can't be two official heirs. One must perish and it's obvious that it's going to be me. To ensure that I'm taken care of and out of the running permanently, I'll be declared as an enemy of Vongola. It's the best way to gather the entirety of Vongola together as one as they attempt to kill me, not wanting to have any loose ends that could come back to haunt them. Anyone that is connected to me will be included." Tsuna didn't show an ounce of emotion on his expression, despite the gravity of the topic. "To prevent such a thing from occurring, I need you to take everyone I know in and declare that they are under your protection." He paused for a few seconds as he folded his arms against his chest before continuing, "However, you need power and backing in order to stand against Vongola. I suggest combining your group and Giglio Nero together once more to recreate Millefiore. With the Mare Rings and the Sky Arcobaleno together, even Vongola would hesitate to attack. They don't want to spark a war that would no doubt drag in the rest of the world."

Byakuran and Yuni snapped their attention to each other, eyes wide in realization. They both had memories of the previous dimensions when Millefiore had been created and none had been too pleasant. Still, this was Tsuna that was asking and then there was also the fact that Yuni had yet to take over Giglio Nero as the boss, Aria still alive and well.

Tsuna almost smirked as if reading their minds. "I'm very well aware of Millefiore's dark history but this time, it'll be different. Byakuran is actually somewhat sane for one and this combination is done out of protection than mere power. The reasons for the merge is completely different and I'm certain that this outcome will be for the best." He reached up to push back a few bangs that had fallen in front of his eyes, tucking them behind his ears. His honey-colored eyes peered over each and every person's face carefully, examining them thoroughly. He knew that most of them contained the memories of that time given by Byakuran, well most, not all. Tsuna was positive they remembered their defeat by the other world's Tsuna, but he didn't see any hatred or disgust, just despair and distrust. "Don't worry, nothing like that will happen again. This time, you have me at your side to watch over you even if this physical form is reaching its limit soon."

Byakuran immediately stood up and spun around to face the brunet, tossing his bag of marshmallows to the side. He was just beginning to relax and go for another sweet, but it seemed that each new topic did nothing but startle him. " _What_?" His voice was blunt, cutting through the tension.

Tsuna sighed heavily. "This mortal body will die soon. It can't contain the amount of power I have anymore. When you first meet me, it had already reached its limit and though I had it repaired, the damage was already done. I've been avoiding using magic to prolong this life, but eventually, I'll have to use it, enough to begin the process once more." He stood up to take a few paces forward, striding around Byakuran, as he slipped into the center of the room. His steps were silent, each one feeling heavier, as if he could see his impending doom and he probably did. Closing his eyes momentarily, he spun around to face the group. "The events that will be coming up will destroy this body, but it will not end it. Someone else will kill me."

"What of the Varia battles?"

"What of them? There won't be any Varia battles. Xanxus will never allow himself to be used. Its Iemitsu, Nono, and Federico I need to worry about." Tsuna almost smirked as he saw concern flashing through both Byakuran and Yuni's eyes. "Don't worry. Everything will work out just fine. Even if I lose this body, I can still visit, though I won't be the same person anymore. The difference between this sealed version and the real me will be too clear. In this body, I'm limited on what exactly I can do since I don't want to purposefully kill it, but in my original, I'll have the full array of my abilities that people would believe only a God could have. I'll look at those around me and see their past, present, and future all at once. I'll know everything about them without even having to do research. I'll be able to read all their emotions, all their movements, their ideas, their minds, everything. It'll all be there, laid out bare for me to view. It's not only that, but...it's difficult to get along with those that don't share the same lifespan as me. It's only natural to keep a distance out of fear and anguish."

The brunet peered over towards the albino and Yuni, knowing that those two would understand his position.

"Sometimes, it's the same for you two when you look at someone you've meet before. In Byakuran's case, you see the other versions, your other selves, whom you've met and you know these people so well despite having never met them. For Yuni, it's their future and knowing whether something good or bad will occur and being unable to change it."

Byakuran hummed gently to himself. "But it's still different for you. You have the ability to interfere, to change, to alter every little detail. You can slip in and fix things or make it worse, whatever you feel like doing at the time."

"True and it's that very reason why I'm sometimes regarded as a God instead of a demon, though placed in the evil scale. However, do you know what's worst?" This time Tsuna smiled, filled with utter despair and heart-wrenching sadness. Despite the emotions fluttering through, Byakuran could see the underlining madness that was mixed well within, a madness he was all too familiar with. "I look at a person and know that they will die regardless of what I do because that is their fate. I'm the one that suffers as I watch them grow old and fade away before my very eyes. Since I don't age, I can't die. I could always snatch someone and drag them back to my world, transforming them into an immortal or demon, but if they aren't compatible with me, they'll be driven into my insanity. They'll be transformed into a monster and I'll be forced to put them down like a dog. It's enough to drive the delicate balance within myself to the brink of destruction because of that misery."

Everyone went silent, most unable to comprehend those feelings while those that could only shrunk within themselves. Byakuran sighed heavily, reaching up to rub his eyes. He looked much older in that one motion, his eyes sealed shut. He sat back down into his chair. Though Byakuran was physically a teenager, he was mentally older from all the memories he had experienced and as such, understood Tsuna the best. Yuni folded her hands together into the center of her chest, peering to the side. It was clear that these two had seen too much, experienced too much, done too much, to not be effected by the continuous survival of life.

"Alright," Byakuran muttered, pulling himself together. His purple eyes were open, staring at the brunet solemnly. There was no hint of his usual persona, tossed away, as he took on a more mature appearance. "I'll do it." He turned towards Yuni, giving her a nod, who immediately returned it, before staring back at the immortal. "We'll take care of everything on our end so you won't have to worry about any of that. When Millefiore is formed, we'll take care of those you care about even if you have to leave this dimension one day. I figure that once you return to your original form, you'll have to take up your duties once more?"

Tsuna nodded, his expression blank. "Thank you." He bowed to show his respect, distinguishing that both Byakuran and Yuni were putting themselves out there for him. "I appreciate it."

Yuni shook her head, the long black hair flipping about from the movement. "No, we should be thanking _you_. You've done a lot to help us including the other versions of ourselves and besides, it's only right to help a friend." She beamed, all bright and radiant as if the previous conversation had never gotten her down. It was obvious that the memories of the times Tsuna had killed her had faded away and it wasn't like Yuni to hold a grudge. "You may not be the Tsuna I recognize from other dimensions, but I can tell that you still care for those around you. That is one thing that will never change."

The brunet blinked once and couldn't help but mutter under his breath. "And this is why I've always liked you better than your grandmother, Luche."

Yuni raised her head up, not quite catching the whisper. "Huh?"

"Nothing." Shaking his head, Tsuna spun around to face the exit. "I'll take my leave now. I don't want Vongola's little spies to figure out I've gone missing and start searching for me." He took one step forward, his eyes still on the doors ahead of him. "It was good seeing all of you again." And then he left, not bothering to look back to the various expressions that were thrown at his back as if everyone knew what awaited him.

Sadly, they did.

* * *

It had been a long thirteen hour trip, trapped in a plane with only his rapid thoughts running over his current situation to keep him company. Nothing could distract him, everything circling repeatedly in his mind. He still regretted leaving Tsuna all alone at home, but it couldn't be helped. He had to go, had to see what awaited for both himself and Tsuna. Another two hours passed once the plane landed, going through customs and getting a ride over to the Vongola headquarters, which he was finally entering to see Vongola Nono. It was irritating, by the way. Time simply flew by and his fingers twitched every few seconds. He didn't want to be here. He wanted to be home with Tsuna. He needed to be there.

"Nono." Reborn announced as he stepped into the office, noticing his boss at the front with two of his guardians by his side, Coyote Nougat and Visconti. His tiny body stepped closer to the aging man and stopped a few feet away, tilting his fedora upward to get a better look into Nono's eyes. "You called?"

The old man smiled softly and motioned something to one of his guardians, the storm one, Reborn noted, and watched as Nougat slipped away from his boss to the entrance of the room. The hitman turned to watch curiously from the corner of his eyes as the storm guardian opened the door that had just closed moments ago to let someone else in, someone he recognized as Nono's son. So it was true, the man was alive and well. That meant things would be heading towards a dark path for Tsuna. Reborn mentally shook his head, he couldn't think about such things right now.

"Reborn, I have a request. I am well aware that our contract is up, early of course since it had to be terminated with my son's sudden reappearance and his desire to retake his position as Vongola Decimo. Still, I was wondering if there was any way you could leave Tsunayoshi and shift your attention to tutoring Federico, try to get him up to date on our current situation. Vongola is, of course, willing to reward you for doing such a thing as well as create a new contract between the two of us." Nono smiled softly, hope flashing in his eyes as he glanced between the hitman and his son. Reborn rotated back to the current Vongola boss, eyes blank and emotionless, and he tilted his fedora downward to cover them. He knew this would happen, it was too obvious.

Since the sun Arcobaleno didn't respond back immediately, Federico stepped forward and bowed slightly to show his respect. There was a soft arrogant smile on his lips. "I would be honored if I became your student, Reborn."

" _No._ "

That one word cut through the atmosphere, startling all of those within the room, even Reborn himself. Why had he said that? Why had he said it without any ounce of hesitation? The hitman mentally sighed, closing his eyes for a few seconds. He knew the reason: he didn't want to leave. He didn't want to leave Tsuna's side. He cared for him, he wanted him, he...

Reborn snapped himself out and peered up to watch as Nono's eyes widened in surprise. It was obvious he hadn't expected the denial so suddenly. The son was the same, taking a step back in shock, and the guardians shared the same expression as they glanced between each other.

"No." Reborn repeated, like a confirmation to make himself believe that he was actually going to do this. He wasn't going to leave Tsuna, not now, not ever. He shook his head and clutched his fingers tightly into the palm of his hand. "No, I can't."

"Reborn…" Nono sighed gently and settled back into his chair as he shifted into boss mode, no longer staring down at the baby like he was an old friend. His hands were folded neatly on top of the desk and the wrinkles of his age were beginning to show. Gone was the kindness and accepting behavior while his two guardians stared at the sun Arcobaleno suspiciously. "Would it be possible to have a reason as to why you're refusing?"

Reborn didn't answer. He didn't want to. His state of mind was in a frenzy, just speaking might reveal everything about him, and so he did the best thing: keep his mouth shut.

Nono closed his eyes for moment before responding. "Is this about Tsunayoshi? Reborn, he doesn't have to become Vongola Decimo anymore. We both knew he was unfit from the very beginning since he knew nothing about the mafia and-"

"He did know. He always knew about everything." The hitman cut in, eyes sharp as he defended the brunet. "He knew from the very beginning what was going to happen to him, even to the point of knowing when Federico would show up and mess everything up."

The Vongola boss paused at that, confused at that piece of information along with everyone else. How could Tsuna have known? A civilian that had never touched the dark world they lived in? Shaking his head, he continued. "Even so, he should live a normal life. It's for the best."

Reborn cut in once more. "He _can't_. He was never living normally in the first place and he never can. And don't be stupid, _Vongola Nono_ ," He stressed the title, knowing it would agitate the older man, and he received a twitch in return. "We both know that now that he's been dragged out into the open of the mafia, he can never leave. He's the son of Iemitsu, the Young Lion of the Vongola. He was going to be attacked regardless simply by being connected to him. Right now, you have him on a pedestal as a target." Mentally nodding his head, he decided. "I want to stay with Tsuna, not as a tutor or to protect him. I want to because I've sided with him."

At the strange looks he was receiving, Reborn flicked his fedora upward, his dark eyes burning with determination and resolution. He couldn't quite believe he had stated that, but it felt right, like he was meant to, and the hitman was perfectly content. If he was, perhaps, feeling more than just _like_ towards Tsuna then there was no way in hell he was going to walk away. He would never forgive himself for doing so and if there was one thing he hated doing. it was leaving behind regrets.

"That is all I will say on this subject. I will become a freelance hitman with no connection to any mafia famiglia and will remain at Tsuna's side, even if he doesn't want the throne, until I've decided what to do next. You will no longer contact me for any favors, Vongola Nono, though you're welcome to remain colleagues with me."

At his words, Reborn spun around, about to storm out, when Nono stood up from his seat. The Vongola boss was startled by how quickly everything was falling apart, clearly not expecting any of this to happen by just one little meeting. It made him curious at the same time. Just how influential was this Tsunayoshi to even affect Reborn of all people? Even he himself hadn't been able to make such a connection with the hitman. "Surely there is an easier way to deal with this, Reborn. You're a wonderful ally. We can work something out that will benefit the both of us."

Reborn narrowed his eyes at that and made Leon transform into his gun, pointing it towards the boss without an ounce of hesitation in his eyes. He could observe everyone tensing at the obvious threat, but he didn't back down, face determined. "At this current point in time, we are _not_ allies Vongola Nono. I've sided with Sawada Tsunayoshi and that is final. Perhaps he isn't boss material or the heir to Vongola anymore, but there's something about him that makes me want to stay." Despite his words, Reborn didn't waver. "If you send anyone to come after me or Tsuna, they will be considered an enemy and will be disposed of immediately. Make sure to bring plenty of bags because I will not hide the bodies. That is all I will say as a warning. Have a good day, Vongola Nono." With that, he strode out of the room, still holding onto gun Leon, and closed the door behind him with a quick slam. The sound echoed down the corridors and the two guards at the door peered down at him momentarily before turning away, not wanting to get involved unless ordered.

Reborn stood silently still in his spot for a few seconds as he comprehended exactly what he had just done. To think he would go this far...

Mentally shaking his head, he had already made his decision, even before meeting up with Nono, and despite the hesitation he didn't reveal on the surface, he felt like he had made the right decision. Nodding to himself, he knew he had.

Now to get back home… Hmm… That might be a troublesome part since he couldn't use Vongola's private planes anymore considering he had just thrown away his alliance. Well, he could always threaten someone here or there to do his deeds for him. He clicked his gun. Oh, yes, he could do that. Right now, he had no time to waste.

He was going back home.

* * *

Reborn arrived at the Sawada household late at night, the ride back had been an annoyance on his nerves and yet when he saw the place in sight, he found himself relaxing, like he was coming back to where he belonged. Belonged... Yeah, that's right. This was his home and it wasn't the building, but the person inside waiting for him. Jumping up the house and sneaking into the bedroom, he found Tsuna curled up in his blankets, sleeping peacefully without a care in the world.

With no hesitation on his part, Reborn hopped over to the bed and slipped into Tsuna's folded arms, burying himself into the warmth. He nudged closer after placing his fedora to the side with Leon on it and remained still as he closed his eyes. Here he felt safe, here he felt accepted for who he was, here was where his heart laid.

A flexing of fingers against him told him that Tsuna was awake and he watched as curious honey-colored eyes opened tiredly and peered down. There was a haze within those eyes, but the brunet was definitely alert. "Reborn? You're back."

"Go to sleep." he answered back almost immediately, unconsciously shifting closer to the brunet. He was exhausted after multiple plane rides, the business meeting with Nono, and with his own feelings. Now he just wanted sleep, to rest his noisy mind. "We can talk in the morning. Just know that I'm not leaving your side anytime soon."

Tsuna shuffled in bed slightly and tightened his grip around the sun Arcobaleno, burying his face into Reborn's spiky hair with a soft smile, a smile that warmed the hitman's heart at the sight of it and knew that once more he had made the right choice. "Okay… Thank you, Reborn." And then he was gone, lulled off by the warmth of the bed, the comfort of someone next to him, and the truth of knowing that Reborn would be beside him in the morning after. Reborn smirked and closed his eyes once more, letting himself drift off.

That's right. This was the place he wanted to be. It was only right if Tsuna was there beside him.

Reborn couldn't even mentally hit himself for it.

He had it bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to like and comment! They make me happy :)


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very dialogue heavy chapter. Like seriously, most of it is all talking.

"During my travels through numerous dimensions and timelines, I've met Giotto multiple times and even the Arcobaleno before they were cursed."

"Really? How was it?"

"It's interesting and...different, depending on the dimension. Sometimes I became Giotto's advisor and good friend along with his guardians. I generally kept to the shadows for obvious reasons so my involvement would never be recorded in history and they were perfectly fine with that. As you may already know, Giotto's hyper intuition was the strongest while Ricardo, Vongola Secondo, who was a distant cousin on Giotto's father's side, was much, _much_ weaker. Anyone that followed afterwards on Ricardo's line was the same. However, there were many times I had to purposefully interfere with Giotto's life without becoming a friend or adviser. History doesn't always mention the horror he suffered because of his abilities and it was a well-kept secret that only those close to him knew about. Sometimes not even his guardians knew."

"I...don't understand."

"You won't have any issues with it since I sealed the problem away in all the dimensions, though there are a few that manage to accidently break it. Anyway, sometimes his hyper intuition drove him mad. As he grew stronger, it became too powerful for him to actually live with peacefully and he suffered horribly. At that time, I had grown some attachment to Giotto despite the many versions I came into contact with. It became difficult for me to see someone I personally know and actually like and respect be driven into insanity by his own powers and so, I would generally step in."

"Oh..."

"You understand, don't you? How it can happen. You see everything, you know everything, you understand the person before you've even met them, you can sense things to come. It's to the point that it drives you absolutely mad. In some versions, they say that Giotto was upstaged and forced to retire to Japan, but that's not always the truth. The takeover was sometimes placed to look like that, myself and/or his guardians planning it in the background (not including the times Daemon did it). When it was finished, I would drag Giotto with me to Japan to keep him mentally stable. The peacefulness there helped him settle and calm his state of mind until I could fix the problem. Sadly, I can't help all the Giottos out there as there is only one of me. So there are times I arrive too late and he had already taken his own life because of despair or was put down by his own guardians."

Silence.

"I... Well..."

Silence.

"I can't blame you and you can't blame yourself, Sin. As you've already stated, there is only one of you, but I'm glad that he at least had someone close to him to take care of everything. His guardians couldn't follow him, right?"

"Most of the time, yeah. If they followed, the mafia would just trail behind."

"I see. What about the Arcobaleno?"

"Before we get into that, let me bring you in on a little secret of mine. There are three people I will care about no matter what dimension they belong to. That is Reborn, Giotto, and the last one is obvious. I will appear to them when they need me the most or I will interfere with their lives just because I can. I may cause chaos and destruction wherever I go, but I will always try to create a future for them that ends happily. However, if, let's say, the person doesn't want to improve or causes trouble I don't like, I leave them alone."

"I see."

"As for the Arcobaleno... Well, let's talk about them later."

* * *

"So, Tsuna, do you have any intention of telling me exactly what is going on and what you have planned at this very moment?"

Tsuna peered over at the hitman, who was settled on top of the middle table, and nodded. The following day after Reborn had returned back from Italy, they were alone upstairs in Tsuna's bedroom while the rest of the household was below. They could faintly hear Nana's delightful humming in the kitchen, working on lunch at the stove, while the two children were watching television. It was a peaceful day with the birds outside singing and people were leisurely strolling down the neighborhood streets.

It was earlier that day, from an encrypted text message from one of Reborn's now ex-colleagues, that word had gotten out that Xanxus had quietly pulled back from their claim on the throne. They had all returned to Italy, to their main base, never mentioning another word to anyone. It hadn't been officially declared yet, Vongola keeping the situation under cover, but it had gone as Tsuna had predicted. Xanxus was never one to follow orders or be controlled even when Vongola Nono had the reins. To both Reborn and Tsuna, that was one group they didn't have to worry about anymore.

The brunet put down his current book, placing a bookmark within to keep his placement. "I won't tell you everything as I'm certain you already know the basics of it through hints alone and from your conversation with Vongola Nono."

Reborn smirked, folding his arms against his chest, and left his empty cup of coffee on the table as he scooted towards the edge. "Obviously. The missing person in the equation to everything had been none other than Federico, Vongola Nono's son. Since Vongola now has an official heir, either yourself or Federico has to give up or fight for the throne. However, when considering your intentions, Tsuna, you'll be the first one willing to surrender it." He was still questioning the issue of how the supposed-dead heir had suddenly come back to life, revealing himself at the most opportune moment.

"Yes, that's correct." Since he was already on the floor, the brunet shifted back towards his bed, leaning against the frame to keep himself upright. "That won't be the end of the problems though. Vongola is, after all, mafia and mafia won't let anything like this just walk away freely. There can't be any loose ends, especially now that I've been revealed to the general public and so, one of the heirs must perish to keep people together as one. Vongola would be torn asunder if their members were to start taking sides and though I haven't quite made an entrance just yet, there are already some leaning towards me as the next boss. They want a complete change to the system and I'm considered the best bet as I don't have any background in the dark world. Or they believe I can become their little puppet, easy to control."

The hitman closed his eyes, figuring that this might happen. He was actually afraid that Vongola would pull something like this and considering Tsuna was the one saying it, he was probably already well aware of what his fate held.

"What amazes me though is that you decided to stay with me instead of just abandoning me to my fate." the immortal commented, his honey-colored eyes examining over the sun Arcobaleno who looked unfazed by the graveness of the conversation. "You could have easily just gone back to Vongola and wiped your hands clean of this mess, shoving it aside like nothing had happened. You're a hitman after all, a professional killer. You hold no alliance towards any famiglia, not even Vongola, only yourself. In the future, Vongola may have even paid you to take me out as they believe I and everyone here would have dropped their guards. It would have been a simple job for you, easy money." Tsuna continued to stare, his facial never shifting. "So why?"

A silence settled between the two before Reborn shrugged his shoulders. The hitman wasn't one to talk about his feelings. He preferred actions over words. Words could easily tell lies, full of distrust and deceit. Still, it was enough of an action that Tsuna could see right through and as he leaned over to get closer to the hitman, the brunet chuckled softly.

"I see." Tilting his head to the side, Tsuna smiled as if he understood everything. He most likely did. "Does this mean you're finally starting to develop feelings towards me?"

Bang!

The brunet kept his lips twitched upwards in amusement, tilting his body to the side to dodge the bullet that would have been embedded into his right shoulder. The bullet instead dug into the dry wall behind him, the end of Reborn's gun smoking. His honey-colored eyes didn't leave the baby, observing carefully with a hint of glee. "Reborn," He fixed his position, expression calm. "We both know there aren't many reasons as to why you would stay with me and get yourself considered as an enemy to Vongola besides curiosity. It's too risky, too dangerous, and something even you know is stupid. As far as I know, hitmen and assassins know that emotions aren't something to trifle with, pushing them aside to get the job done. So that leaves the question: why?"

Reborn didn't move, his facial appearance perfectly still. Not a muscle moved. He was like a statue that was studying the other, even when his hand was outstretched with gun Leon in his fingers.

Tsuna went on as if Reborn had actually responded to him, glancing off to the side where his window was. The curtains were closed halfway, just giving enough to peek outside to the bright blue sky beyond the confinements of his room. "In my long life, there is only one emotion that could make someone do something like that: _love_." He reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind his ear, gazing back at the baby. "Loyalty, friendship, it all rounds back to the same emotion. So it's only obvious that you have some feelings for me, enough to influence your decisions. And I suspect that you are already aware of your developing feelings towards me from the way you're reacting."

The hitman still refused to say anything, remaining silent. In the end, he put down his gun, Leon transforming back into his original form. The chameleon crawled back into his usual spot on the fedora but this time, hid behind the edges, keeping out of view. It seemed even the lizard could sense the tension in the room.

The immortal went back to leaning against the frame of his bed while folding his legs on top of the other. "I'll honestly admit that I do have... _something_ towards you. I like you, Reborn." Those black beetle-like eyes had a small flicker of emotion, but it was some soon after. Tsuna wouldn't have caught it if he hadn't been carefully watching. "However, perhaps not that much just yet, not all the way to love. Still, I can tell that the future me adores you deeply, enough so to actually marry you."

At that passing comment, Reborn snapped his head up with a flicker of shock in his eyes, this one far too obvious. It was the first time since the start of the conversation that the hitman openly revealed any emotions without being enclosed soon after.

They were married in the future?

The sun Arcobaleno reflected back on the previous times he had seen future Tsuna, having remembered seeing a gold wedding band on his ring finger. He knew they had a relationship together in the future and he had expected the brunet to get married eventually... but to _him_? Reborn knew for a fact that he wasn't exactly marriage material. He had never even thought about it either.

"Marriage..." Reborn muttered under his breath as he tugged down his fedora to cover his eyes.

The very thought of them being married felt far away and surreal and...impossible. He blinked for a moment as he had a sudden passing thought about the last name issue. He knew he was purposefully pushing the shock aside, trying to settle on something else. Would he take the 'Sawada' name? Reborn mentally shook his head. No... If he remembered correctly, this Tsuna didn't have one. He had only taken 'Sawada' because of this dimension's version, but if he returned to his real body, then it would be obvious that he would go back to just being Tsunayoshi and nothing else. That left Reborn's...

His eyes widened a fraction and peered back up at the brunet, who was peacefully sitting in place, letting the raven mentally think about all the details without any disruptions. "Tsuna, whose name did you take? Mine or yours?"

The Sorcerer King raised an eyebrow as if questioning the notion of the question itself. "Isn't it obvious? _Yours_. I don't have a last name and 'Sawada' doesn't count. I only took it since I'm in this body."

Reborn stared. His last name... His _real_ name. He hasn't heard it for so long and had almost completely forgotten about it. "So you know my true name."

"Obviously." the brunet snorted. "I've traveled many dimensions and worlds, so it's understandable that I would eventually come across a version of you that still went by his original name before it was changed to 'Reborn' the hitman."

The hitman just stared. His original name. A name he had thrown away when he had stepped into the dark underworld. To rid him of what made him act so human in order to survive the bloodshed and despair the darkness of the mafia brought. "So then, your future full name will be-"

"Sinclair Tsunayoshi."

Reborn blinked once as his last name was spoken in combination with Tsuna's first, finding it oddly fitting. His stomach flipped, feeling a warmth course through his veins.

Tsuna shifted slightly in place on the floor as if nervous. "Of course, I can't use 'Sinclair' when I go by 'Sinister' or 'Sin'. Not only would it sound strange, but it's much like your name as Reborn. It doesn't deserve a last name as it's meant to be a cover."

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that we're actually married in the future..." Even when trying to distract himself, Reborn still wasn't sure on what exactly to think about any of this. As mentioned before, marriage had never been something for him to consider, even back when he had been an adult. At that time, he had only thought about his next hit and surviving, to live to the next day. The emotion called 'love' was nothing more than a weakness, a hindrance, that would get him killed. He's a hitman, professional and imposing. Emotions were useless in the dark world as they got into the way of getting the job done, causing split second delays and forcing people to react differently than expected. Love especially was the worst of them all. As a hitman, he trusted no one but himself. Emotional attachment would lead to his downfall and yet... it made such a lonely life. As he grew older, he found himself sometimes desiring what others had, something he could never get because of both his mentality and background as a killer. He would look at a happy family and know he could never have anything like that, that peacefulness that could only belong to the innocents.

As he peered down at his body, knowing the curse still afflicted him, Reborn almost winced as another thought slipped into his mind. Marriage in this form was impossible. It was only then when he remembered future Tsuna's words of the curse being broken, of him returning back to normal. He almost smiled at the thought, but resisted, his eyes drifting back up to the brunet, who was simply staring quietly.

"To be honest, marriage has never been on my mind either. It wasn't exactly something I cared about or bothered with." Tsuna admitted. "I'm immortal and then there is my high rank within Hell to be considered since I'm attacked every now and then from people that want to overthrow me. At this time, I currently have the King of Time watching over my realm since he doesn't rule one besides his castle. If you consider everything about me and my past, relationships aren't easy. I avoid them entirely for that very reason." He paused for a moment and slowly shifted closer to Reborn's side, leaning over onto the table. "But I'm not stupid ether. I know that eventually I'll fall for someone and I just hope that they'll stay with me and accept me for who and what I am. However, I won't dare marry someone simply because of love unless they are compatible with my blood. That means you _have_ to be."

Reborn tilted his head at that last part of the conversation. What was the other talking about? "Compatible?"

"Yes, basically, I give you life or I share mine with yours. It's a complicated process. I went through it when Tsunayoshi, the King of Time, took me in. However, I grew too powerful and his reaches of influence over me through blood vanished entirely. He wanted it that way though since he desired seeing me on my own two feet than in his shadow." He took a deep breath, giving a small pause to the discussion flow as he went over his next words. "As I'm immortal, nothing changes with me on my end, but if _you_ went under the process, _everything does_."

Tsuna's voice took a darker tone, the surrounding temperature rapidly dropping. Reborn resisted the notion of shivering.

"People _change_ during the process, they mold to the holder's personality. Who you were before will die and be replaced with someone else entirely. Most of the time, if not compatible and there's no bond between the two individuals, the process quickly goes sour. The person either dies or the transformation is too much that the other is forced to kill them off. It's because of that that it's extremely rare for people to be changed. I was probably the first in the last hundred-thousand years that was successful and not another one has passed since. Only extremely low level beings can do so easily since they aren't powerful enough to influence anything unlike someone like myself."

This time, the hitman couldn't stop the violent shiver that fell over his entire body. If the future him did that, then does that mean he was no longer the same individual? That he wasn't human? That he was no longer Reborn? The sun Arcobaleno hurriedly stilled his dark thoughts, noticing a catch in the conversation. "Doesn't sound very pleasant, but that means I got through it just fine if we're indeed married in the future."

Tsuna nodded, a brief warm smile slipping onto his lips. The darkness that had been surrounding them had utterly vanished. It was like everything had been a test of sorts, to see if Reborn would fall into oblivion, and he had passed. Whatever he had been feeling before was gone, now overflowing with hope. Tsuna softly chuckled. "Yes, you're absolutely correct, Reborn."

The hitman hummed gently, now inquisitive about his future since it had such a bright outlook on it. It wasn't typical to have his forthcoming days laid out into the open like this. The future was meant to be enigmatic, so far away from the present, and not be tied together neatly into a little bow. Still, Reborn had to admit that the future sounded fascinating and he was eager to experience it. He wanted to know how being married to Tsuna, to being in love with him, would result.

Would he be happy?

Regardless, he had to mentally confess to himself. He was most _definitely_ developing something for the brunet. It wasn't love, but it was damn well close enough and he had no doubt that it was noticeably affecting his thoughts and actions, like he defiance towards Vongola Nono. Love and marriage was a fairytale to him. Nothing was perfect in a marriage, especially in the Mafia world where deceit and death ran rampant. It didn't help that he is the number one hitman and the sun Arcobaleno. There were already too many issues involved with just those two titles and if there was anyone too weak he had feelings towards, they would be easy targets to control him. That wasn't a chance he was willing to take. Everything had risks. There was also the fact that he's a selfish man. He didn't want to give up what had been working for him for years, much less change. Love was an open sore that could bleed and bleed until there was nothing left but a corpse. It had no intention of stopping even after the person left (intentionally or not).

However...

Reborn stared at Tsuna curiously. Tsuna was evidently powerful, more so than him if the brunet had been able to destroy worlds with ease from his shared memories. He was immortal, unstoppable, and held powers that went beyond human capabilities.

It could work out.

Reborn mentally shook his head. No, he wouldn't start thinking like that. He couldn't.

The immortal sighed heavily from the side, able to read the turmoil within Reborn's mind regardless of the other's blank expression. It was too obvious. "I'll give you time to sort through everything there." Tsuna shuffled a little against the table, leaning over so he was at Reborn's level, and gazed into those dark eyes. "This isn't easy to deal with, even I can admit that. Only time will reveal things and I have plenty of it. However, don't make me wait too long, Reborn." Smiling softly once more, he closed the distance between them as his lips gently brushed against one of those chubby cheeks, landing a quick peck. The curly sideburn tickled against his skin, bouncing slightly at his movements. Chuckling quietly as the hitman abruptly began blinking in wonder, Tsuna pulled away and hastily slipped out the door before Reborn could restart his thought process.

The immortal had all eternity to wait for the other. However, he just hoped that Reborn would swiftly gather his wits about this matter. He wasn't keen on waiting too long.

When he desired something or _someone_ , he would have it as his own.

Tsuna is a selfish man after all.

* * *

"Mom," Tsuna's voice snapped the brunette from where she had been cleaning the kitchen stove. It was late at night. All the children had already gone to bed, except for Tsuna and Reborn, who hadn't yet left their shared bedroom. In the end, the immortal had ended up taking a long walk around the neighborhood, giving Reborn the unbothered time he needed to think.

Nana blinked questionably, not entirely sure what her oldest would want this late at night. Now she wasn't entirely oblivious to the tension in the household, especially when her son and husband were in the same room, or the weapons the kids had, but she had remained quiet. She didn't want to interfere, letting everyone handle their own issues. She had even noticed the huge changes in her son. The dark aura that would continuously surround him had lightened up. He was interacting with people more and she could tell he was growing fond of the people surrounding him. It had all been because of Reborn and she was so grateful for everything. Now if only her son could get a lover, especially that tall handsome man she had seen months ago, then everything would be perfect. Putting on a brilliant smile, Nana rotated towards her child with her cleaning towel in her right hand. "Yes, Tsuna? What is it? Did you need something?"

The brunet's honey-colored eyes simply gazed at her, observing her movements carefully. She almost shivered under the observation, uncomfortable with how much older he appeared to his physical age. She had expected many questions to come from her boy's mouth, but the one she heard wasn't it.

"Why are you still married to Iemitsu?"

"H-Huh?" Nana could honestly admit she was taken by surprise.

The brunet continued. "The man is never home, visiting whenever he feels like on a whim which is like every five years." Tsuna stepped around the kitchen island, his left hand sliding over the tiled top that had been cleaned moments earlier. "It's clear that he puts his job above you, his wife, and his son. Yes, he provides for the bills, but that's all he really does. He doesn't call or email to see how you're doing. Doesn't want to know how your day went, your troubles. Nothing, he wants nothing. So why?"

"Tsuna..."

"Iemitsu has lied to you multiple times." Tsuna spoke clearly, his voice resonating. "And he will continue to do so until the day he dies. You don't even know if he's cheating on you somewhere else, with some other woman he's working with or seeing behind your back. I don't know about you, but I know that people don't always do well with long distance relationships. You know exactly how it goes both in real life and in the movies. People will sleep with their work partners, their secretaries, their co-workers, whoever they can find that suits their needs, whenever their loved ones aren't around to find out. Do you really believe that a man could hold himself back for five years continuously? Truly do so? Do you really think he's been completely faithful to you?"

Nana flinched as the bitter truth was laid out before her. She hadn't expected her son to be so harsh. Those words cut into her like a hot knife, burning the wounds behind, and leaving a scar in its place. She had never wanted to think like that, distancing herself from the entire idea. However, Tsuna wasn't done yet.

" _Divorce the man_."

The mother of the household jumped at the declaration, eyes wide in shock. Tsuna wanted her to divorce her beloved husband... that was never home, never communicating with her, never...

So she saw the obvious, clear as day, points to the conversation. She saw everything. They were all true, the complete and total truth. She could see why, she really could, but Iemitsu and the money... The blond had been her first love, had swept her away, and had given her a beautiful life with a wonderful child. It wasn't perfect, but she loved this life. She didn't want it to change and besides, if she left, then how would she get her living sorted. She didn't work, she hadn't for a long time as the money Iemitsu sent her was more than enough.

The immortal just watched, eyes reading her completely like she was an open book. "Don't worry about money. I can handle that. You don't need to worry about a single thing." He stood before his mother, calm and collected. "And if you'd like to know, I know of a man that will _definitely_ take care of you, who will treat you like you're supposed to be treated, and will never leave you alone. He will remain by your side through everything." Tsuna folded his arms. "You need a person that will treat you like you're a queen, like you're the most important person in the world. Iemitsu will _never_ do that, he's never here to even try anyway. He's a man that doesn't deserve you nor do you deserve him."

The wife sighed heavily before peering up at her son with a gentle smile. "My... Tsuna, you've grown so much and so quickly too. You're an adult now, huh. I'm so proud of you." She delayed the conversation, not wanting to dwell on it any longer. She just wanted to push it aside and forget about it. Still, that didn't mean her son wasn't completely right about everything. She knew it. She knew it deep within since the very beginning of their marriage. However, that didn't mean she wanted to react and fight back. As mentioned before, she was currently happy with her life and with the kids, content even. Though, deep within, she knew it wouldn't last forever and eventually her comfortable world would shatter into tiny little pieces, never to be put together again. There was also the fact that it wouldn't be long before all the kids would leave the house to be on their own, Tsuna being the first, and abandoning her behind to dwell in an empty household that contained no one but herself.

Tsuna almost smirked at Nana's mental realization and spun around, ready to head back up to his room now that his words had gotten through, leaving its mark. He had done all he needed to do. "Tomorrow, you should go to Takesushi and speak to the man at the counter. I know he'll treat you very well once you get to know him."

"T-Tsuna..."

Without exchanging anymore replies, the immortal spun around to wander out of the kitchen, heading up the stairs to his room. He had planted the seeds, now he just had to watch them grow, and grow they will. When he left, to reclaim his throne, he wanted to at least make sure that Nana would never be on her own. That was the least he could do for her.

* * *

Meanwhile, Reborn was having his own turmoil. He hadn't left his little spot on the table, not once, trapped within his own heavy thoughts. He didn't want to think of love, of marriage, of anything. He refused to. It made it harder, but easier at the same time considering his cursed size. How could one think of love when he had other matters to worry about? He was cursed. He couldn't have a normal relationship with anyone.

If he was an adult... Well, that would be different. Reborn could honestly see himself being attracted to Tsuna and the older version of the brunet did have an appeal unlike anyone he had ever met, not even Luche had drawn him in like that.

Still, nothing could happen until he returned to his adult size, until he was back to normal. It just wasn't possible.

He paused for a moment as he thought about the extraordinary being. He could always ask Tsuna for help (much to his ire as he hated asking anyone for help). Tsuna knew what to do, he knew about curses, and had even foretold the ending of his. Was it possible that maybe he could get a hint of when it would end? Of when everything would be over? He wanted to know so badly. He wanted to feel normal again, to be able to touch a person, to hold a person, and never be looked down upon ever again.

Tsuna... He was the one person that could change everything, that could end everything. Reborn was absolutely sick and tired of being trapped as a baby, with no way out, with no escape, and he wanted it to change. He wants to be normal again. He wants to _live_ again.

Reborn decided that perhaps it was time to ask Tsuna about the removal of his curse when the brunet returns from the kitchen.

Yes, that indeed was the best course of action.

* * *

As the bedroom door opened and closed with a sharp click, Tsuna paused as he stared directly ahead at the wooden surface. He could feel the change of tension behind his back, all of it focusing directly onto him.

"Tsuna…"

The brunet lifted his head up curiously, spinning to face the baby behind him, and stared, unable to hide his inquisitiveness at the tone. Reborn sounded intense, convictive, and certain. He almost smirked at the confidence the baby wielded so effortlessly. His honey-colored eyes stared directly into Reborn's, never once breaking the connection. "What is it, Reborn?"

The baby suddenly seemed to hesitate now that the attention was solely on him, almost looking like he wanted to shrink down. Still, he never did, standing firmly on the table. "I want to know more about the curse that has been afflicted on me."

"Ah…" Tsuna tilted his head, his eyes momentarily breaking contact to roam about his room, before eventually returning to its original place. "What about it?"

"I was wondering about something…" Reborn seemed to sigh this time, releasing some of the tension in his body, and peered up at Tsuna with almost pleading eyes. "You told me that 'curses are meant to be broken'. I want to know everything about it and who exactly will break it and when."

"And here I was wondering when you would finally ask about that." The brunet almost wanted to hum, but instead stepped away from the door so that he could be closer to the other. Of course he knew about the curse, he knew everything about it, and who exactly would break it in the future. As for when... "Let me ask you something." A flicker of hesitation flashed through Tsuna's eyes before it was replaced by the usual blankness. Biting down on his lip, he sat down on the table, right beside Reborn, and folded his legs neatly on top of the other. "Do you _want_ the curse to be gone?"

Reborn's dark eyes narrowed, his spirit shining brightly at his resolution, and stared straight at the other unflinchingly. Tsuna blinked at the sight in surprise, a flush of heat decorating his cheeks as his stomach suddenly flopped at the unfamiliar sensation coursing through his body. The hitman nodded his head once and spoke, "Yes."

"So you're that determined. Alright then, I shall fulfill your wish." With those final words, the brunet abruptly stood up and started making his way towards his bedroom window. Before Reborn could respond, much less process what had just happened, Tsuna had opened the lock and was pulling the frame open, letting in a strong gust of wind inside. It ruffled his spiky locks and he took a deep breath, eyes burning in determination. He was ready to jump, to _soar_.

Reborn remained where he was at, unmoving, unsure of what to do but stare. Just as he wanted to say something, Tsuna twisted his head back and smiled.

In the shining moonlight and tinkering stars, the immortal appeared eternal in the darkness, glowing with a beauty that couldn't be explained. The light reflected off his pale skin, shining unnaturally. "Stay here, Reborn. Where I am going, you can't follow." Taking the first step out the window, he spoke once more. "I'll be back soon."

"T-Tsuna..." The baby had barely stuttered out a response before Tsuna vanished. The brunet hadn't just jumped down the house or was scaling the neighbor. No, he had dissipated into the darkness, like particles in the wind. There was no trace, nothing that told of his existence. The wind continued to blow into the room, ruffling the curtains, and scattering any papers that had been on the desk. Reborn didn't move. There was no point in attempting, not when he knew he couldn't follow Tsuna.

Then hope blossomed within his chest, dreaming that perhaps things would finally be over for him. Closing his eyes, he exhaled heavily. It was like a weight was finally being lifted off his shoulders and as he reopened his eyes to stare out the window, he smiled.

" _Thank you, Tsuna_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I believe I have about 6-7 more chapters in this fic (not including the interlude) before its over. Its almost done! Then I can start focusing on other fics. By the way, this fic WILL have smut.


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there will be an interlude (a really long one too) either next chapter or the one after that, whichever I finish first.
> 
> Beta Reader: Pure Red Crane

"Hey, Sin. You said you were considered a God before? What kind of God?"

"When I was younger, it was more along the lines of evil. I did whatever I wanted in order to create chaos and madness around me. I destroyed and rebuilt and repeated the process multiple times. It didn't matter how many times I did it, how repetitive it was, how vicious, I enjoyed each and every one. It was fun, destroying people's lives and sending them sprawling into despair."

"Um... That's..."

"I said: when I was younger. Now, I don't do that as often as I used to but those tendencies never left me. I leave it to others, but the name I made for myself continues to be spread around, forever etched into stone for all eternity. The residents in the lowest level of Hell fear and respect me at the same time, even though I'm considered the youngest Demonic King of Hell."

"So how... exactly did you go about things?"

"Hmm, it depends on the situation, honestly. Most of the time, I would twist the people around me to create that madness. It was... interesting to see how they would act, transform, and use my influence or powers to their advantage. I didn't mind, I enjoyed it. Other times, I would take a more active role in the destruction by just slaughtering everyone until they were nothing more than a bloody smear on the wall."

"Sometimes I forget that you have this dark side when we're talking. You're usually so calm and collected...that actually seeing this other side of you just scares me."

"And yet you never run away."

"Because I know you won't hurt me. At least, not in that way. It's very similar to how Reborn treats me. He will hurt me to teach or to play, but nothing more than that. That and you won't reveal that self of yours unless you need to. I might not have as much experience as you, but I'd like to believe that I understand you. You're not a good person, but you're not evil either."

"You, on the other hand, are a good person, even in the world of Mafia. A light, if you say, in the most corrupted darkness, and yet you draw that very darkness to your side, sharing that brilliance with them."

"Thanks, Sin... I'm honored you think so highly of me."

"Of course I do, you were able to draw me in, after all."

* * *

Tsuna paused for a moment in his travels to the top of a skyscraper, the very one he had been on when he had been exploring this world, before he had met child Tsuna and spun fate's string personally. It had been years since he came here, gazing over the world from this height. All he could see was darkness and the scattered lights of buildings, the world completely silent. Only the wind brushed against him, rustling his soft hair and clothes.

Glancing above, there was only a clouded night with a small breaking for the moon to peek through. It was a busy city. It wasn't expected to reveal the starry world with all its pollution. All the clouds did was reflect the bright lights from the city, diluting among the crevices of its surface. It was nothing compared to the Sawada household where the city lights had no effect.

For a second, Tsuna reflected back on all those he had met and befriended over the years. Despite the distance he held towards everyone, nothing had really happened until Reborn fatefully stepped into his life and began to morph things, dragging him out of his comfortable shell. He didn't like interacting with people and never will, even after all the time that has passed by. He was old, ancient compared to humans, but young to those he had befriended in Hell.

Closing his eyes, he took in a deep inhale of the cold air, feeling his lungs expand from the pressure. The wind dulled out any remnants of noise from the city and he exhaled, the gust stealing away any little sound he might have emitted. It was time for him to take the already given rails on his fate, to shift things to his benefit as it was meant to.

After all, the future has already been written and it was one he had no intentions of changing, even when he had the power to do so.

There was no need to, not when the conclusion was all to his benefit.

Tsuna smirked, opening his eyes to gaze back upon the world, and stepped forward towards the edge of the building.

"Here starts the beginning of the end."

So he jumps.

* * *

The man with the iron hat chuckled, looking over the current images that were flooding the screen before him. It was entertaining to watch the current Arcobaleno struggle with their cursed selves even after so many years of repetition, attempting to find their place in the world, to reconnect with those they had left behind, to live a normal life when it was impossible.

Oh, how he enjoyed his job and the power he held over each and every individual.

It never stopped amusing him to watch the strongest of each generation struggle to fight their impending fate, only to fail each and every time miserably. Though, he didn't like the fact that some of them would join Vindice afterwards, increasing their staggering numbers in their search for him. That annoying little group was beginning to get on his nerves, considering they had destroyed his main two bases Still, he couldn't do much as the world needed their enforcers and without them, society would no doubt crumble in their struggle for greed and power.

Still, with his title as the Tri-Ni-Set Administrator and the power that came with it, he was invoked with enough strength to fight back effortlessly. The members of Vindice were nothing but flies compared to his power and with his different race as a being, he had immortality. Growing old would never bother him and he would become the eternal overseer of the world.

As he continued to gaze at the screen, he chuckled once more. Oh yes, he was having so much fun messing with the Arcobaleno, far too much, and he wanted nothing more than to observe their suffering once he reveals the truth of their awaiting fate. He turned his attention to the current future bearers of the Vongola rings or what might be them considering the continuous conflicts the group was facing. With Federico appearing, there would obviously be a power struggle between him and Sawada Tsunayoshi.

Sawada Tsunayoshi... That name always somehow produced a shiver to run down his spine and he could never figure out exactly why. It was strange. There was just something off about him, something that made him want to run and disappear. It was a sensation that told him that the teen is _dangerous_. It was an old feeling, one he hadn't felt in a long time considering his overwhelming status and a sensation he knew he shouldn't ignore. He had been alive a long time, survived many wars, seen the passing and coming of generations, to know when to be cautious.

As he observed the image of Sawada Tsunayoshi in the complete darkness of his new undercover base, a sudden spring of light flooded the area as a door suddenly opened. He blinked once as his eyes adjusted to the brightness, but his mask helped keep most of the intensity out.

"Checker Face! We have a big problem!" A quick recognition slipped through Checker Face's eyes as Wonomichi shrieked in the light. The normally overly-smiley man had a panicked expression, eyes wide with fear, and there were specks of blood all over his suit and skin. It was enough to get Checker Face to pull away from the monitors, focusing on his companion.

"A problem?" Checker Face's face was unreadable behind the mask, but his tone of voice revealed his clear distress. Was Vindice breaking in again? Had they already found him? It wasn't possible though. This place was completely off the charts, but then again, it had been the same as the other two.

"Someone has broken in! He's killing everyone in his way!"

Someone?Only one person? Now that caught his attention, considering how strange it was. Checker Face lifted himself up from his chair and was about to speak up to gather more details about the situation when there was a distinctive slam within the dark area. He couldn't see anything in the darkness, but he spotted Wonomichi jumping at the sudden startling sound. The light from the doorway was all they had to brighten the surrounding area and the obvious intruder was blending in perfectly with the dark crevices of the room.

Then there was a step and a sound of something wet being squished against the hard ground. The man picked up something dribbling in the same area, like the sound of rain outside or a leaky faucet, and a small gust of air passed through the room, distributing a recognizable scent. Blood, the familiar coppery odor filled his nostrils and Checker Face sneered. This intruder had _definitely_ made a mess of things. How many bodies would he need to clean up on the upper floors? How many of his subordinates were dead this time?

A couple more steps and the trespasser slipped into the open light, covered completely in blood. The thick liquid was dripping from his clothes and hair, creating a trail leading to the darkness from where he had originated from. In his right hand was an arm of what must have been one of his men, the individual using the fingerprint of said arm to gain access into this secure area. With one swipe of movement, the lone limb went flying, scattering onto the floor and rolling a few times before stopping. The man, no, teen, continued to step forward, unbothered by the destruction he had caused or that he was dyed red. Those eyes were burning orange and yet there was no true emotion swirling inside of them besides annoyance.

"Oh? It seems you've made a mess of my group." Checker Face angrily growled, lips pulsed together under the mask, and from his spot examined the person thoroughly. He recognized those features, even under all the red. That spiky caramel-colored hair, those scorching eyes, and the aura the brunet just gave off. Oh, yes, it could only belong to Sawada Tsunayoshi, the one individual he had just been thinking about. It seems his instinct had been absolutely correct. "What brings you here? This is quite...the surprise you've given me."

Tsuna didn't answer, his movements never stopping. He paid no attention to the amount of blood on him, almost looking like it was just extra clothes on his skin. However, as Wonomichi was trapped between the two males, he took up the mantle to defend his boss, rooting himself to the ground between the two with a wide grin.

The messenger of Checker Face chuckled, "I think you've gone far enough, little one, ho-ho-ho." As he reached into his jacket, he continued, "I believe it's time to-"

Before Wonomichi even managed to finish his sentence, Tsuna had already reacted. With the slight narrowing of his eyes, the brunet grinned as his eyes burned with madness. Instantly, Wonomichi's body froze and with a petrified bloody screech, began to twist and turn. The limbs went around in a circle at the sockets like the man had been nothing more than a doll, twisting until the flesh ripped apart. Muscles were shredded, bones snapping, and blood gushed from the exit wounds. It didn't stop there as the extremities were yanked from the body, spraying pieces of Wonomichi everywhere. More screaming echoed in the dark room as the remainder of the body flopped to the ground like a sack of flesh with nothing to keep it up. The screeching remained.

Checker Face felt his eyes widening in shock. Those abilities... Those abilities weren't _normal_. No regular human could do that, no true Earthling could do that. He had been alive for a long time, seen many things come and go, encountered even miracles, but that... that wasn't anything he had _ever_ experienced. It was unnatural, a mocking to mankind and life in general.

However, his rapid thoughts were yanked to a stop as Tsuna sauntered towards the fallen body. A quick glance from those glowing eyes and Wonomichi howled agonizingly as his body twisted at the midsection before being tore apart, silencing the man eternally. The organs within was wrenched out, spreading out in-between the two broken parts. If Checker Face examined closely, he could distinguish the organs that were as twisted as the corpse and the bubbles of blood drooling out of Wonomichi's lips. The light within those familiar eyes faded, life snatched away brutally and ever so ruthlessly. Tsuna snorted as silence finally settled into the room and paused just before the upper part of the corpse. Lifting up his leg, he planted his foot onto the head and with a simple push, splattered the skull across the floor. Checker Face couldn't stop the full body flinch from both the crackling sound and the sight.

"Checker Face," the brunet stated as he marched up the path and towards the true Earthling's location. He was as calm as ever despite the horror he had fashioned, a tinge of insanity decorating his features. "I'm revoking you of your position as the Tri-Ni-Sette Administrator."

"R-Revoking?" Checker Face stuttered, seizing a step backwards to gain distance. It was pointless, the only exit was blocked by Tsuna himself and the brunet was swiftly making his way towards him, fully intending on finishing the job. "You can't revoke my position!"

"Are you sure about that, true Earthling?" Tsuna smirked, clearly amused by the argument or lack thereof. "I have the ability to do so." He took another step, just two meters away from the other male. "I am _far_ older and _more_ powerful than you can ever imagine. Long ago, in other dimensions, I've controlled the entirety of the Tri-Ni-Sette multiple times so I'm familiar with how everything works, even if there are slight changes in each one."

"That's...impossible." Checker Face took another step back and then another until he collided with his chair, plummeting backwards. It was like he had sealed his fate.

The Sorcerer King almost rolled his eyes, slowing his motions to a stop before the trapped man. "It's not impossible and since I've done it before, I'll do it again. It's quite simple. However, rest assured that I have no plans on keeping the title to myself. I don't want it and find it quite...pointless. Instead, I'll be transferring it to someone more worthy that will indefinitely care about the Arcobaleno and their conditions."

Checker Face sneered angrily, eyes wide in fear behind the mask. Disbelief still haunted him, unable to understand what had happened. He had only been observing the screens just seconds ago before everything came crumbling down. He attempted to fight back with his flames, but Tsuna hadn't even flinched, unaffected. "You can't. You can't do this to me!"

"Oh, but I can and I will." With that, the brunet raised his right hand and stabbed forward like a snake, piercing through the flesh. He listened to grumbled gasp of shock and smiled sinisterly. "This is the end of the line for you, Checker Face."

Tsuna yanked his arm back, ripping the heart out. He could still feel the flesh pulsating in the palm of his hand before crushing the organ, letting the blood within splatter in all directions.

" _Bye bye_."

* * *

"Sin, that was a little different compared to what happened in my world. I mean, the Arcobaleno curse removal."

"Of course it is. There are many differences. Sometimes, it depends on Checker Face and other times, it depends on the type of curse the Arcobaleno had."

"What do you mean?"

"Sometimes the curse was meant to be temporary or that they were only to be turned into babies and simply grow up normally once more. And then there are some that affects the one I was in where they were eternally cursed as babies until the day they died and were transformed into members of Vindice."

"That last one in this dimension is similar to that, but it was broken six years ago. The Arcobaleno grew up, yes, but were going by multiple years instead of one at a time. Almost like growth spurts."

"Yes, that's correct."

"...By any chance, did you have something to do about the breaking of the curse?"

"Perhaps. It could have also been because it was their due time."

"Sin... Thank you."

* * *

Tsuna peered down at the crystal sphere in his right hand, the power of the Tri-Ni-Set administrator, of the watcher, in a condensed physical form. The coursing of power in his bare hand was familiar, he had felt it before and had even used it to his own desires as well. He had destroyed worlds with it, causing the apocalypse for a slow torturous death on the humans, simply because he could. It was different from using his own powers to tear everything apart. However, it wasn't one he liked. If anything, he hated the Tri-Ni-Set and its powerful influence on life on Earth. Such pointlessness if one were to ask him. There were plenty of worlds out there that had nothing to do with it and were surviving quite well.

With that, he had no intentions on keeping this power to himself. He didn't want it. If anything, he wanted to destroy it and be gone with the infernal system completely.

In the end though, he couldn't just do that. The Tri-Ni-Set had its uses and he couldn't help but be grateful that it had brought him together with Reborn or had placed the other versions of himself onto their destinies' pathway. He would let it go and allow the system to continue, to thrive.

Still... What to do with it now? As mentioned earlier, he didn't want it and he couldn't quite keep it considering the issues pertaining to him and his current form. If he left this world, then the power would follow him and that too would cause more harm than good. There would be no one to direct the flow and continue the cycle in this dimension. Closing his eyes, he searched out for a viable candidate as the replacement. There were many out there, but this one had to be set right in-between, having to know when to do their duty and when to stop and step away. Power changes people, transforms them into something completely different, sometimes ugly and sometimes perfect. They will either destroy everyone around them or tear themselves apart. He could not risk having another Checker Face running around and causing trouble, not after killing the main cause himself.

Tsuna sighed heavily as he pulled back his senses. He was exhausted, the drain of power usage coming back to haunt him. He didn't have much strength left and his time in this walking corpse of a body was already starting to reach its limit once more. He bit back a curse. He just needed to hold out a little longer, just enough to rewrite the curse and get the Arcobaleno pacifiers to function without harming the host body like a parasite.

'I'll need some place quiet to gather circular containers that will pull the curse away from the current Arcobaleno as well as some of the powers they gained from it.' Tsuna had done this multiple times in the past and it had been so simple with his old body. He could have done everything in seconds without breaking a sweat and though, he could always wait until later, once he returns to his body, but Reborn...

Grumbling once more, he teleported out of the dark room that contained Checker Face's body. At least he had an idea on where to store the containers. There was only one group powerful enough that couldn't be influenced by anyone else, that ran the rules of the mafia, to keep it safe.

* * *

"Bermuda."

The baby immediately snapped his head up in shock from where he had been monitoring various screens that contained images of some of his prisoners, spinning around with disbelief in his eyes. This was the control room, deep within the prison, and impossible to get to without setting off the alarms or alerting the guards, especially the ones that were in this very room. His eyes, hidden underneath the bandages, stared at the being hiding within the darkness.

When had the person showed up? How long had he been there? Watching? Waiting? And the question that remained: how he had gotten into the lowest depths of Vendicare Prison? It wasn't possible. No one could slip through all their barriers and gates. _No one_.

It was impossible.

Carefully, he floated up from his spot on the counter, carefully observing as the hidden person stepped out of the shadows. Bermuda was ready to strike if necessary and a quick glance to the side told him that Jagar was the exact same. Still, they held back, curious as to who had dared to break into their prison of all places. Their hidden eyes thoroughly examined the person before them and in the light of the monitor screens, they recognized the being. It had been the one person all of Vindice had been inquisitive about, the one that had known Checker Face's location.

Bermuda tilted his head slightly. "Quite the surprise there, Sawada Tsunayoshi. Or should I say, Vongola Decimo."

The brunet nodded his head and stepped closer, stopping just before the group. "I'm no longer considered an heir to Vongola. That title belongs to someone else now." As he spoke, other members of Vindice came sliding in through the darkness, fully intending on surrounding the teenager. Neither of them had any plans on letting the brunet escape, not when he had gotten this far into their base and so easily too.

"Interesting. Still, I must ask: how exactly did you get in here?" Bermuda's squeaky voice echoed in the darkness, chains rattling repeatedly around him as a threat. No one attacked, curiosity getting the better of them.

At first, Tsuna didn't speak for a few moments as he took in his surroundings before finally doing so, folding his arms against his chest. There wasn't a hint of being disturbed by the fact that he was standing before the most terrifying individuals in mafia, beings that brought fear among the dark world with just their name. "It's quite simple, I teleported in. However, I'm not here to explain how I got down here." Shaking his head, he motioned the conversation onward and away from their present topic. "I'm here to hand over a couple of items I wish for Vindice to take care of and protect."

Bermuda couldn't help but blink questionably, the rest of his men glancing at each other. Items? What exactly did Tsuna have to appear all the way down here for them of all people to protect? That sounded like too much trouble. "Whatever these 'items' are, surely the Vongola could offer their hand in protecting it despite no longer being an heir. Why come all the way here? To Vendicare Prison?"

"Because these items pertain to the Arcobaleno."

A mixture of confusion and suspicion grew on their faces, all eyes on the brunet. Bermuda stepped away, floating closer to the apparent teenager, his curiosity made obvious. "What do you mean?"

Tsuna finally unfolded his arms and snapped his fingers. Seven items suddenly appeared out of nowhere, surrounding him in a circle, and within each of them contained the seven flames of the sky. They burned brightly in the darkness and as Bermuda drifted towards one of them, he noticed that there was more inside than just a flame. In the dead center was a pacifier, or what looked like it. If anything, it was more like a large crystal rock that gave the reflection of the insides.

"What is this? What have you done?"

"The best way to explain these," Tsuna tapped one of the containers with his foot, listening to the clack in return, "Would be containers, holding the powers of the Arcobaleno. Or what was given to those that were chosen as the Arcobaleno. These also contain the curse that had afflicted them, stripping away what had befallen them. Sadly, this will only work on the current and future Arcobaleno. The damage that had been done to you cannot be reversed. It'd be like bringing a corpse back to life and even you know that something like that must be avoided." His honey-colored eyes drifted towards Bermuda's form and then to the rest of Vindice. "My apologies on being unable to help you all, but at least I can save the current and future generations from ever experiencing the same pain all of you have suffered."

Honestly, he could have easily reversed all the damage that had been done with the snap of his fingers, but he wouldn't do that. This world, and any worlds out there, needed their enforcers. That despair and hatred also needed to remain as well as the flame of night has its purpose in keeping the world spinning.

"However, to keep the flames going," He turned his attention back to Bermuda, "The flame of night must be used to ensure they keep producing power. If the flames were to go out, everything would return back to the original pacifiers and re-curse the bearers."

The boss of the Vindice peered interestingly at the other, wanting nothing more than to keep the teen prisoner until all his secrets were spilt. Oh, he knew Tsuna had plenty more, it was so obvious. Still, he didn't mind the gifts and he wouldn't mind using his flames to keep things going. As an ex-Arcobaleno, he knew very well what had been afflicted upon him and the rest of the guards and he would never wish it on anyone else. It was a damning fate. He smirked. "There was more to this than just asking us to protect these objects."

"Of course, but that is why I'm handing them over to you. This is not something I can just give to anyone, especially Vongola, who is as corrupted as the rest of the mafia. Doing so would create an unbalance, too much power and too much of a hold over the Arcobaleno." Tsuna paced back, putting some distance between himself and Bermuda. "As you're an ex-Arcobaleno, I have no doubt that you will at least protect your own kind."

"So you knew the truth about us..." The Vindice boss huffed, glancing back towards his right hand man Jagar. There was a small mental conversation shared between the two, unheard and unseen, considering their eyes were bandaged up. Before long, Jagar shifted in place and motioned for the surrounding men to move forward, each one grasping one container. Still, there was one last question left hanging in the air. They doubted Checker Face would allow this to happen so easily and the man had managed to elude their capture for hundreds of years. He wouldn't be happy about the loss of control over the Arcobaleno and he would return to reclaim what was once his. "What of Checker Face?"

"What about him?" Tsuna shrugged his shoulders, unaffected. "He can't do anything anymore."

Bermuda suddenly sneered, rearing up towards Tsuna's level. His cloak was floating heavily, surrounding his figure. All the guards behind him, even those that held the containers, had bristled. "You don't understand anything! Checker Face will not stop just because he can't do anything anymore. I, no, we've _all_ experienced firsthand the suffering given by him. And we all know what is to come for the current Arcobaleno once that bastard removes the pacifier from them. Though you have taken care of the pacifiers' rejection of their flames, Checker Face will still make the switch to a new generation simply to make them suffer for his amusement. He will not stop until he is dead. Don't you understand, Sawada Tsunayoshi? He must die for us to be truly free!"

The brunet stepped forward, raising his hand outward to silence this conversation, and it was then that Bermuda noticed the color. Red, a deep dark red, a sign of blood. It was obvious that he had just recently killed someone, but whom? Bermuda certainly didn't know. The palm was closed and it opened slowly, revealing a mask that everyone in the room knew about. A few gasps came here and there. They would know that mask anywhere. It was too obvious, the checker pattern all over. "I believe this is evidence enough to explain what has happened to him, Bermuda." He tossed the mask onto the floor, letting the remnants of blood splatter. "Unless, of course, you wish to have the body as proof as well. I can easily arrange for that too."

No one spoke up, unable to continue on with this discussion. Checker Face was dead? Could that really be true? Could their mission, the one that had kept them going, be completed? If so, then what now? Or was it all a lie to keep them distracted?

The immortal huffed as the disbelief began to surface and snapped his fingers again, summoning up the corpse. The mask had been obviously torn off, the piece lying innocently to the side. "As you can see, Checker Face is dead. I revoked the rights he had over the Arcobaleno and as the Tri-Ni-Set Administrator." Before anyone could speak up regarding the latter, Tsuna kept going. "Sadly, since someone has to take the position, I temporarily did until I can pass it onto someone else."

"Someone else?" Bermuda stared a little longer before floating backwards towards Jagar. He motioned to his men to check the corpse, but even he could tell that the man was dead. "I don't understand. Why can't you continue as the Administrator?" At least with Tsuna, they had an idea of his intentions, of what he desired. They could at least trust the brunet in wanting the best for the Arcobaleno in his wish to save them.

"It's complicated and just like how you all don't like revealing each of your secrets, I shall keep mine to myself. Just note that I'll be passing it off to someone that will protect and love the Arcobaleno dearly." Tsuna rubbed the back of his neck, exhausted, though kept it off his expression. He really wanted to head back home and rest. All this power usage was quickly getting to him and he had a limit on how far he could go in this human form. Sadly, that limit had already been reached and he was merely holding himself together by sheer willpower. "Just note that I'll be leaving the power to someone with a good heart. I don't want another Checker Face to be created."

Tsuna peered down at his cell phone, looking at the time before sighing heavily. It was quite late in the night back in Japan, considering he was somewhere in Europe. Sighing heavily, he flexed his shoulders once before turning his attention to the guards.

"Look, I need to head back home. It's quite late and you have plenty of stuff to do, considering everything I've given you." He motioned to the various containers and corpse before suddenly vanishing from his spot, teleporting directly out of Vendicare Prison.

The guards were left alone in silence, unsure of what had just happened as they tried to absorb everything. They peered at each other curiously for a moment before one of the guards glided forward, checking the location where Tsuna had been. The man peered back and shook his head, alerting that the teen had really vanished into thin air.

Bermuda didn't appear conflicted with the disappearance and instead smirked, "Sawada Tsunayoshi..." The bandages around his lips crumpled and specks of his teeth were revealed. "We'll definitely be keeping an eye on you from now on."

* * *

"Iemitsu."

The blond male glanced up from his desk at the call of his name, his body going rigid momentarily as he recognized the voice. He had arrived back at the CEDEF base hours ago, arriving a little after Reborn had made his announcement. Upon learning Reborn's betrayal to the famiglia, he had burned within in disgust. The hitman was going to stay with Tsuna, his not-son. He was siding with _him_ , the person that wouldn't be the heir to the throne, that had no future or purpose to Vongola anymore. Pushing those thoughts away, he focused entirely on his visitor out of respect.

He nodded courteously. "Federico." Standing up, he pushed his chair to the side and rounded his desk so he could face the heir to the Vongola throne, the man that would become his boss. Meanwhile, the Varia had already gone silent, pulling back everything they had on the battle with Tsuna. It was clear they had no intentions on obeying Vongola's direct commands, but that was expected considering who the leader was. "What are you going here? Are you here alone? Where are your bodyguards?"

Federico smiled, raising a hand up to silence the other. "Apparently," He shuffled towards one of the chairs in the room and relaxed into the cushions, sighing heavily. "I'm here to make a request actually. One that will require you spilling some blood. This will be a request from the future Vongola Decimo as my father has no account into this."

"Oh?"

"Yes, but will you listen to my request and then make your decision afterwards? It regards your son."

"Of course, sir. What do you wish of me?"


	41. Interlude 3 part 1

"You know I want to hear more about you than what's currently going on."

"What do you mean?"

"I want to hear about you traveling to other dimensions. I'm curious about how different everything would be or if it's just the same."

"It depends, honestly. Some follow the same exact pathway as the mafia boss. Others had some variations with extra siblings or different guardians. In the end, they all gathered at the same place. Then there were those that were completely different. Like in one dimension, there was one Tsuna that had become a phantom thief. In another, he's a vigilante that fought against the mafia, including Vongola. You already know about the King of Time, who is a powerful demon version, but there are other Tsunas who are demons as well, though they never reach the inner dimensional layers of Hell. Just to let you know, the inner layer of Hell that myself and the King of Time dwell in can't be reached by normal means, unless you know the route and have the power to do so. It's like its own world, separate from everyone, but still interconnected. It's also the reason why we can slip into other dimensions so easily. I've also seen a version where he goes around making contracts or pacts with the Arcobaleno like in those shows where you make a literal connection or bond. There's even a version where you're a werewolf."

"That actually sounds cool!"

"Indeed."

"And here I am in a boring version, dealing with the mafia."

"It's not bad, I actually kinda like it. It's peaceful right now. However, if it's peaceful, I do have a bad tendency to appear in those dimensions just to simply stir up trouble. To me, peacefulness is... boring."

"I hope you have no plans of doing that here. I want that peacefulness. Paperwork is already a pain, you know."

"And yet here I am helping you out on said paperwork."

"Which I'm no doubt grateful for."

"Well then, you'll just have to deal with my troublesome tendencies then. In the meantime, how about I tell you one instance where I interfered with Tsuna's life as you're signing those papers of yours..."

* * *

Tsuna stared over the screen-like portal curiously, observing the setting before him with a slightly tingle of interest in his honey-colored eyes. He was dressed in his normal clothes, the cape draped carefully behind his chair so it wouldn't get caught when he stood up. His legs were crossed and he leaned over to the side, resting his elbow against the arm of the chair. He had finally found something interesting to pass the time. After all, it was hard to prevent boredom from taking over after living for so long, not that he had lost interest in slaughtering people. It just got tiring witnessing the same reactions and winning in the end, despite the people's resilience for surviving. It just wasn't entertaining anymore. However, this was completely different. He was no longer creating the destruction. No, he was offering a hand into it. It was like creating a masterpiece out of nothing and he absolutely loved it. As his eyes watched the figure in the screen continue to run amok, squealing about one thing or another, he continued to remain relaxed on his throne.

The figure in the image was small in size, a child to be exact, with familiar brown spiky hair and large honey-colored eyes. The child was only around six in age, trotting around in a playground happily without a care in the world despite being avoided by other children, and settled into the sandbox to build what looked like a castle. It was adorable how happy the child was, thinking nothing of the world around him but what was in front. Tsuna almost smiled at the sight, finding the setting adorable. Normally, he avoided constantly observing younger versions of himself like this after growing too attached to the last one (something he couldn't help but do). However, this one was different.

This child...

This child was _special_ , oh so very special. He had a heavy destiny riding on his shoulders, one that would shift the fate of most of the dimensions that were interconnected to this one.

This Tsuna would be the one to defeat Byakuran, the sky Mare ring holder.

Honestly, he could have done it himself, but he wanted to watch his other selves struggle to survive, to grow, to become someone powerful and independent. Though, that didn't stop him from lending a hand in knocking Byakuran down a few pegs in various dimensions (sometimes killing in the background to keep the dimension alive) just to watch the white-haired man get frustrated.

"What are you doing?" a voice called out from behind amongst the surrounding darkness. Tsuna tilted his head slightly to peer back, unbothered by the sudden intruder, and shrugged his shoulders in response. A figure began to form as it stepped closer into the light, revealing Veil dressed in a humanoid form. His usual claw-like hands, the stitches across his face, and tattered clothes were all gone and his normally wild hair had been pulled back into a loose ponytail. His height had shrunken down, now just a head taller than Tsuna.

"Just watching a younger version of myself. This one contains a heavy fate and I'm bored as it is. This is just giving me something to do to pass the time, considering there hasn't been anything interesting for the past four-hundred years." Tsuna rotated back to watch the screen, looking comfortable despite Veil standing beside him, studying him carefully with those narrowed eyes. The King of Lust sauntered around the chair, his arms folded, and scrutinized the images as well. He didn't understand why watching something like a movie would be so interesting. If anything, it felt...dreary. However, in the end, Tsuna was correct. There hadn't been anything interesting going on in Hell for hundreds of years, no wars, no declarations, no nothing. The demons were growing relentless to the point where they were beginning to fight each other for entertainment. Even he, himself, was beginning to feel it.

The King of Lust tilted his head, letting his pony-tail drape over his left shoulder, "Then why don't you head over there? It'll be easier to watch in person than through a screen."

"That's true. I guess I could do that. Maybe I can interfere for fun." At those words, the Sorcerer King stood up from his spot and ran a hand through his long bangs, pushing the strands to the side. His shoes clicked as he took a few steps forward, the portal vanishing in response, and eventually reached up towards the ends of his cape. His fingers paused over the clamps that were holding his cape before retracting. He had intended to head there without it, but he realized it wouldn't matter. No one was going to see him. He glanced back towards his friend, noticing the flash of confusion in those eyes. "I thought I would need to change, but it's pointless, I have no intention of being seen by the humans."

"Is that so…" Veil tilted his head slightly, shrugging his shoulders as if he didn't really care. He was never one to think much on his looks, despite his true form being quite out there by standards.

"You don't exactly interact with humans often, but yeah, people would look at you strangely and they'll stare. I don't want any more undesired attention than I would already get."

"I see." The demon peered back at area that once held the screen, having remembered seeing a child playing in a sandbox. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you so interested in that particular child? He's just another version of you and the King of Time. There are many others out there you could be looking after. So why this one?"

Tsuna huffed, "I guess you can't see it, but that child will change everything. He's the one that will alter all the dimensions that are connected to that world's future. That version of me will defeat Byakuran and shift the future for the better or at least to a different path."

"I see. Well then, I won't say anything else on the matter."

The Sorcerer King nodded his head once and began to walk away, opening up a portal within the dark throne room. The moment he stepped through, the surrounding area vanished and Veil faded back to his realm. Only the silent darkness remained in Tsuna's caste, something that was always there.

* * *

Tsuna reappeared in an empty street a few feet away from the playground, hidden behind walls and bushes, and stepped out of the portal. He had made sure to pick a spot where no one would see him, not wanting to attract any unnecessary attention, even though he was invisible to the human eye. There were always those that might be sensitive to sudden pressure changes and though they couldn't see him, they would still take a glance at his general area curiously.

Taking a survey of his environment, the brunet felt most of the surrounding area empty of life except in the playground where he could see multiple children and their mothers purposefully separated from each other. Striding forward, he slipped through the entrance of the park, unnoticed as expected, and took a moment to observe the setting. The child version of him was still in the same spot, in the sandbox, and had created a mini-castle that was crumbling around the edges. It was choppy and lacked any talent as the boundaries were rough, but Tsuna paid no mind. The boy is a child, after all. Stepping closer, he avoided any of the wandering children, who were rushing from the swing to the slide in numbers, and it was easy to perceive that all of them were clearly avoiding his younger version. As he glanced back, he pinpointed Nana close to the entrance, chatting with some neighbors and the other mothers with the biggest smile on her face, never once checking on her child. It was clear she wasn't paying any attention to anyone but those before her.

Tsuna sighed at the obvious negligence and shifted closer to the opposite side of the park, settling into the trees that were behind. He perched on a large branch high up with plenty of openings to observe the area, despite being hidden within the leaves, and just watched, his eyes remaining attached on the smaller Tsuna. The child, unaware of the extra attention, just smiled merrily, continuing to try and build up his castle once more, but failing each time as he watched it crumble down into a large mess. Still, the boy was delighted with the supposedly negative outcome and continued on stubbornly. The Sorcerer King chuckled and shifted his hand, hardening the sand that was currently being built up to prevent it from collapsing once more. It was a simple magic spell, not worth any energy, but it was enough that it made the smaller unaware Tsuna laugh in glee from his sudden accomplishment.

Minutes continued to pass by, the setting not changing much, but still the Sorcerer King refused to move, enjoying his time outside on the surface. He could hear the leaves rustling, the voices of people, the sounds of traffic. It was all a nostalgic sound.

Just as he was starting to relax, his ears picked up some unusual sounds that didn't belong to this setting. Straightening his form, he listened closer, trying to identify what it belonged to. It was like someone was walking through the grass, heavy sounds that could only belong to an adult. No, multiple adults. Tsuna narrowed his eyes at that realization and tilted his head slightly to search the surroundings as he peered further against the tree trunk. There, just a few feet away, were four men, all dressed in dark clothes that consisted of a three piece suit with dark shades covering their eyes. It was simple to distinguish what group of people they belonged to. 'Mafia, huh.' Tsuna kept himself hidden, observing the setting carefully, before sneaking closer. He needed to hear their conversations to know exactly what they wanted, though Tsuna already had a suspicion about that.

"Hey," the first of the four whispered, shuffling closer towards the playground, and stopped along with everyone else just a foot away from touching the soft material of the ground. "That's the kid, right?"

"Yeah, he's Iemitsu's spawn alright." the second one followed, kneeling down as he examined the surroundings of the playground. The boy was on his own, separate from all the other children who were either playing on the swings or in the center where all the slides were. "I can't believe everyone was deceived into thinking he didn't have a family."

"Well, it's obvious he wanted to protect them, but it's too bad. The man is too stupid to figure out that there's a spy in CEDEF. He didn't even place bodyguards in the area either and he openly admits to having a child. I mean, he doted on the pictures in public. An idiot I tell you."

"Has the boss told anyone else about this? I mean, about the family?" the third man spoke next, drawing some attention from the first two.

"No, I was told he wanted to be the one that kills Iemitsu's son. The boss wants to claim to have done something no one else was able to, that he's managed to hurt Vongola painfully, and I don't blame him." The last one shifted around the three to getting closer to their target. "But our job is to take the bastard's child back to the base alive. Boss wants to see Iemitsu's face when he kills the boy in front of him."

"That's our boss, cruel to our enemies."

Tsuna narrowed his eyes slightly as he silently drifted closer to the group. He could easily take care of them. It wouldn't even be hard, just a flick of his hand and they would disappear forever, never to be found again. It would be so easy. As his right hand rose upward, about to cast a spell to make the men below perish into the air, he suddenly heard a loud cry. Tsuna snapped his eyes towards the child version of him in concern, only to see three of the older children on the playground stomping on his hard work. Young Tsuna was bawling his eyes out, yelling helplessly at his bullies to stop, but they refused to listen to his pleas and continued to kick and stomp onto the structured sand while laughing tauntingly. Nana obviously wasn't paying any attention, cheerfully talking to the other mothers with her back turned on her child.

Older Tsuna just snorted at the view and immediately waved his hand to place a minor bad luck curse on the older children that would last for an entire week. Within seconds, the three bullies were on the ground, having tripped over their own feet the second they stepped back. There was a bizarre silence between the two groups before the three children dashed towards their mothers, bawling about their scraped knee. Shaking his head at the stupidity, the immortal watched as the four men snuck closer to the remaining child, whose back was facing towards them, and wrap an arm around younger Tsuna's mouth. Fear and panic was crystal clear in those large honey-colored eyes and the struggling began as child Tsuna attempted to fight back. However, the child was simply a child, nothing more, and was easily overtaken by his kidnappers' strength, dragged away into the forest undetected.

The Sorcerer King carefully observed all movements, hesitating in using his spells. He didn't want the child to get caught up in his attack and when the group reached about a meter away from the playground, he struck. Casting a small spell, he sent the men flying into the air, letting them hang up above as they automatically released the boy, and cast another to silence the surroundings, preventing any outside listeners from eavesdropping. As the kidnappers squirmed loudly in midair, younger Tsuna sat lifelessly on the ground after being carefully floated downward, fat droplets of tears settled at the edges of his eyes that threatened to tumble down his chubby cheeks. He sniffled a few times, keeping himself calm.

Older Tsuna floated through the forest until he reached the spot and touched down silently on the ground without rustling the grass around him, resisting a smirk from creeping onto his lips. He didn't want to scare this younger version, not after everything that had just occurred. The two versions peered at each other momentarily, waiting patiently for the other to respond. He had made sure to hide his face behind his hood, not wanting to be recognized later down the road by mistake. Eventually, the immortal stepped closer and peered up at the kidnappers, unbothered by the usual terrified looks he was receiving. Huffing, he snapped his fingers and observed in satisfaction as the men suddenly exploded into flowers and scattered their petals into the wind. Honestly, older Tsuna could have done something more graphic like letting their bodies splatter its insides all over the forest like a meat filled balloon, but for the child's sake of mind, he resisted.

"A-Are you…" the child finally spoke, gazing up at the Sorcerer King in amazement and wonder. His fear was completely gone, replaced with astonishment. "Are you a superhero?"

The immortal blinked once under his hood before shaking his head, "No, I'm...far from that."

"Oh, then who are you?"

"Just…someone passing by and saw that you were in trouble. That's it." The adult didn't dare state that he was actually a different and older version of 'Tsuna' and was here simply to watch him.

The child tilted his head slightly in confusion before brightening up once more. "But you have superpowers, right? That was so cool!" The immortal remained silent, observing the child curiously. "You know, when I grow up I want to be a giant robot!"

The immortal's eyebrows twitched, unsure on how exactly to respond to that. "I...see..."

"Hey, mister, what's your name?"

Older Tsuna kneeled down so he wouldn't have to strain himself to peer at the child. "Sin, my name is Sin."

"Well, I'm Tsuna!" The boy grinned brilliantly, standing up as he wiped away any remaining remnants of tears from his eyes. "Thanks so much for saving me! I'm really happy!"

The immortal couldn't help but smile in response, finding the child absolutely adorable. Leaning over, he patted the boy over the head, rubbing gently as he listened to the soft giggles that followed. "You're welcome. Now, you should head back to your mother before she worries about you. Do try to be safe."

"Okay! Thanks again, mister!"

Without saying another thing, Tsuna ran back towards the playground, leaving Sin alone in the woods. The immortal sighed, enticed to follow the child imperceptibly, but resisted the temptation. Apparently, he now had work to do, considering there were people after the child. He couldn't allow anyone to hurt him and it was clear that Iemitsu was an idiot in this dimension, just as the same as every other. The CEDEF placed no protection on his family, absolutely nothing, and left them open for attacks.

 _Pathetic_.

Huffing in annoyance, he vanished from his spot, heading out to search for this so-called boss that had ordered the kidnapping of child Tsuna. Looks like he was going to have to take care of things himself. His lips twitched momentarily at the prospect. Well, at least he would have something to entertain himself with in the meantime while waiting for the child to grow.

* * *

Sin sneered angrily to himself as he glanced over the entire enemy group he had destroyed. It had been too late to fix things, the message had already begun to spread to the rest of the mafia group that Sawada Iemitsu had a family stationed in Namimori. It was clear it was only heading towards the main bosses of the group to prevent word from getting about, all wanting the honor of killing the spawn. They wanted the area to be clear, to have the CEDEF leader believe that his family was safe and sound. It would make things uncomplicated in plans of attack. Sin huffed. He would now have to remain around Namimori or Japan in general to keep an eye on things, he couldn't quite leave when something like this was going on. Iemitsu was too stupid to actually come by and take a look at the surroundings to see if anything has changed and for once, the mafia was actually being smart about keeping information to themselves rather than spread it around like wildfire, enough so that Vongola wouldn't pick it up on their radar.

Well, spending a couple of years in this world wouldn't be so bad. It would at least give him something to do. While he was taking care of the enemies, he could easily go back under his serial killer name to prevent people from nosing too closely to his victims and to prevent the rest of the mafia that had sent the men from being suspicious. Sin chuckled darkly as he stepped towards the mafia boss that had started it all, the corpse splattered across the ground in pieces. The rest of the boss' men were in the same setting, torn asunder. Killing everyone in the facility had been simple, barely worth any effort. Still, it's been about eight thousand years since he went on a killing spree. It felt wonderful to stretch those old idle muscles once more.

* * *

"I've noticed that you like to say world and dimension often, is there a difference between the two?"

"Yes, of course. A world is a world, like a separate planet when you think of Earth and Mars. It just runs on different planes of existence. It's there, but you'll never be able to interact with it, well, at least not normally. A dimension is a variation of that world and there are so many that sometimes the possibilities are endless when you take all the changes that could occur into consideration. Sometimes, things start to mix especially if they're extremely close in nature and can easily blur together as one. Those ones are harder to identify as a single world or dimension."

"Okay, I think I get some of that... Somewhat..."

"Remember when Shouichi used the ten year bazooka to see into the future? He was seeing different dimensions, variations of that one world, his world. Then there's my original world that is completely different. That one is separate and unrelated to yours. Therefore, it is a different world. Does that make things easier to understand?"

"Yeah, okay, that makes more sense."

"Remember Ghost? That was Byakuran's original lightning guardian? He was pulled over from another world, causing that one to collapse on itself. When something like that happens, there are times when it actually destroys all the parallel dimensions related to it too. Not always, but many times."

"That's... a scary thought. So you're telling me that another version of me in this world could cause the world to end and therefore, kill me?"

"Yes. Generally, I try to stop that from happening, but yes."

"Well, I'm going to pray that I'm not an idiot out there."

"Most of the time, you're not."

"Most. Not all. I'm not taking any chances on that one percent, Sin."

A chuckle. "Don't worry, nothing will happen to your planet. You have me on our side."

"Well... That's actually a comforting thought."

* * *

It's been five years now, five years since he arrived in this world and began protecting the other version of him. During that time, he had already made a name for himself among the public because of his violent murders, not that it was hard considering how easy it is to sway humans. With a few messages here and there left behind at the crime scenes, they were already calling him 'Sinister' and yet no evidence towards him ever appeared. After all, they can't gather much if he was undetectable to the human eye and video cameras, teleporting in and out of places at will. He generally struck his victims in dark places, brutally tearing them apart and leaving their pieces dispersed over the area for someone else to stumble upon. It looked like a vicious animal attack, except he was using his bare hands to do the kill. The fear he struck in every individual in Japan was entertaining and the online chatter amused him. He had quickly gained some followers, wanting to compete with him, wanting to worship him, but Sin never allowed them to go too far. He didn't need any copycats and with little gathering of information, he found and slaughtered them as well. There couldn't be any issues that could possibly distract him from his main mission.

Most of the men he killed were related to the mafia, many here to kill Sawada Tsunayoshi. Others were generally those he caught sight of whenever he wandered the country during the times there was nothing to do: murderers, rapists, abusers. He didn't mind putting a little bit of pressure on them. If anything, he found it fun to watch those that had targeted others who were weaker than them break and fall apart, to scream and howl in fear. It was pleasurable, it was delightful, and he enjoyed every second of it.

He hadn't gained his horrid reputation because he was kind and merciful to his victims. No, he made sure they paid the price dearly and send the obvious message to anyone else that would attempt to follow or avenge their fallen. It was how he and the rest of Hell worked.

One day as he was wondering down Namimori streets, he found the person he had been watching over standing on one of the various bridges that connected the town together. He didn't move from the edge, simply studying from the distance. He had never actually met the child once again since that fateful day, remaining far away, but this time he stepped closer. The main reason for that was that child Tsuna was making his way over the edge of the bridge.

Tsuna had every intention to jump.

Sin tilted his head slightly, having seen this scene multiple times over the generations. Sometimes a Tsuna version couldn't take the pain anymore and decided that it was easier to fade away, to disappear, than to continue. He didn't always save them, sometimes letting them go, and others he couldn't help but interfere. This was a latter case.

Pulling his invisibility off, he stepped forward, sneaking up on the child that was lost in his own thoughts, gazing down at the rapid waters below. Though he was dressed in his same clothes, cape and everything, Sin didn't think it would matter. As he stopped behind the child, knowing the boy could only be around ten or eleven in age, he sighed heavily.

"What are you doing?"

Tsuna squeaked, almost losing his grip on the bridge as he spun around, staring at the individual that had snuck up on him. He blinked his large honey-colored eyes rapidly, letting them drift up and down Sin's unusual state, before twisting away. "Um... Nothing..."

Sin rolled his eyes underneath the hood. "I doubt that its 'nothing' as you say." He stepped closer, leaning against the railing. A gust of wind blew by, rustling his cape. "Are you planning to jump? Can't say it'll be pleasant though."

At the bluntness of the statement, Tsuna burned red out of embarrassment, gripping tighter to the railing. If he let go, he would simply fall to his death and be swept away. It would be all over and there would be nothing left. This wasn't the first time he had felt this way and probably won't ever be the last. Why continue living when the world did everything in its power to push him down? However, there was always something that stopped him, something that told him to keep going. He honestly didn't want to. He just wanted it to end.

"Want to talk about it?" Sin decided to spin around and hop onto to the rail with his back facing the open air. He leaned back some more, keeping his legs tightly against the lower ends of the rails to make sure he remained rooted to the metal, and peered through the edges of his hood at the surprised face. "I may not know your circumstances, but I'll at least listen."

Tsuna seemed to hesitate, biting down on his bottom lip. It was clear he didn't want to go through with this, he wanted to live, but was it worth it? Sighing, he glanced towards the strange adult. "You...don't know who I am?"

"Visiting and only for a short time. Not enough to learn the identities of the people in such a town as Namimori."

"Oh..." Slowly, the child relaxed.

"Start with your name and we'll go from there."

"Okay," Pulsing his lips, the younger brunet finally answered. "I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"Call me 'Sin'." At the bizarre expression he received, the immortal continued. "It's a name I've been using for a long time, something to hide my true identity. I have some people after me so it's easier to hide if I don't throw my real name about." That was a half lie. He did have people after him (the police and mafia), but no one knew his real name, just his full serial killer one.

Tsuna's face scrunched up in confusion, twisting around on the rails to peer at the other curiously. He was slowly being distracted by the other, no longer paying attention to the waters below. "People are trying to hurt you? Why?"

"I did some bad things and people want me to pay for it."

"Why did you do those bad things?"

"Because I wanted to."

The confusion on Tsuna's expression grew. "But why?"

"Couldn't explain it even if I wanted to. It's not something you can understand this young. Wait until you're older and ask that question again, then you'll understand the reason." The disappointed pout he received made Sin chuckle. "Of course that means you'll have to live long enough to do so."

Tsuna blinked in realization. "Oh..."

"Now, continue. I doubt your name is all I need to figure you out."

"Umm..." Slowly nodding his head, Tsuna continued, "Well, I'm not really good at anything. Everyone calls me...Dame-Tsuna."

"And I take it that you're being bullied?" The child didn't respond. "It's obvious. Does anyone try to help you?"

"N-No...No one does."

"Why?"

Tsuna peered up curiously, blinking those large honey-colored eyes. "Why? Because I'm Dame-Tsuna."

Sin sighed at that basic response, tempted to reach up to thread his hand through his hair, but that would dislodge his hood. "I mean your teachers. What about your parents? Don't they try to help?" He knew the truth of the matter, but kept his disguise of being clueless to coax the information out of the boy.

Shaking his head, the boy sniffed. "No one wants to help me. My teachers...They just ignore it or...or they'll add to it. Mom, she...she never listens to me."

"I see." Sin spun around on the railings so that he could face the open air and waters below. No one on the bridge passed by and if they did, it wasn't as if they would be seen. Sin didn't want anyone to interrupt them and make the situation worse. "Well, I can see why you would want to jump. Life hasn't been treating you fairly."

Tsuna blinked at the harshness of the comment, sniffing once more. His grip on the rails tightened, draining the color until it was almost white. "Then why stop me? Now that you understand how bad my life is, why are you still here?"

"Because I'm curious. That and there's something I need to tell you before you make your decision." The immortal didn't pause long enough to allow the child to retort. "If I told you I can see into the future, would you believe me?"

Tsuna narrowed his eyebrows in confusion, unsure on how to work with that kind of information.

"Well, even if you don't, I'll still tell you." The Sorcerer King tilted his head to one side, still able to keep the hood secured. "Child, you have a bright future so I wouldn't worry about anything that's happening now. One day, you'll have so many friends and family members that you wouldn't know what to do with them all. Though they will drive you absolutely insane with their antics, you will love them dearly. You will even find your lover in the process."

Child Tsuna simply stared in wonder, those honey-colored eyes so wide once more, and soon he gave a brilliant smile, one that just seemed to brighten up the whole world around him. "That sounds really nice! I hope it comes true for me."

"However," His tone took a darker turn, bending down over the boy as if foretelling his impending doom. "You will face many trails towards that destiny. You will learn and experience suffering, you will dirty your hands in order to keep those close to you safe, and do many horrible and despicable things. All for the sake of protecting your love ones."

Tsuna could only stare, his smile immediately fading away and the shine in his expression vanishing. His eyes drifted to the side, looking towards the edge of the bridge where the water ran rampant underneath. The brightness he had been illuminating was completely gone, replaced by sorrow. He was considering his options now. "Will I be happy? Will I ever be truly happy?"

Sin rotated slightly, following the boy's gaze into the dark waters. "That's hard to say. I personally do not believe in true happiness, but I do believe in contentment. To enjoy what you have now before it's taken away, whether tragically or painfully." He folded his arms against his chest, letting out a heavy sigh. He hadn't expected to be having this type of dreary conversation with another version of myself, much less anyone for that matter. It made him reflect back on his past and his present self. Sin could admit it. He was content with his life. He had people that cared for him, people that looked out for him, and a life that was heavily better than his old one. He was happy, yes, but it wasn't true happiness. Still, that was fine. He was smart enough to enjoy the little things while they lasted. "And to work towards keeping those you love safe by any means possible so you don't have to experience that sorrow."

Tsuna scrunched his face together in confusion, not completely following the flow of conversation. Sometimes, Sin forgot he was talking to a mere child that hadn't learned how the world really worked.

"What I mean is that you should be happy while you can because there will always be suffering no matter where you go. Even when preparing for the worst, the end doesn't always come out the way you want it to. So enjoy life, enjoy your family, enjoy living. You have one life and that's it." Sin continued to stare down into the darkness, able to see his reflection on the rough surface. "Don't throw it away so soon when you haven't even lived. Someone will come along the way and will show you a life worth living, if not for yourself, then for those you care about. This person will torment you to your dying breath, will make your life absolute hell, but you will love him in the end. Still, it won't be easy."

Spinning around, he lifted the child up singlehandedly and gently positioned him back on the other side of the rails, at the same resulting in a squeak that followed. Sin smiled underneath his hood. It was enough that when Tsuna caught sight of it, once he calmed down, his own lips twitched in return. The Sorcerer King reached forward, resting his gloved hand against the fluffy locks of hair and gave it a gentle rub. Letting out another tiny yelp in response, he closed one eye when his bangs came a little too close for comfort, cheeks burning slightly.

"That's exactly who you will become in the future so hopefully you'll want to live long enough to experience those joys."

Tsuna blinked, cheeks darker in shade, before tugging away from the warmth the stranger admitted. He didn't speak at first, almost like he was embarrassed. "You're weird, mister."

Sin chuckled softly out of amusement, raising a hand up against his lips. "That I am."

"But you're a good weird." Breaking out into another grin, Tsuna spun around to face the street where the setting sun was located. The warmth of the sun tickled his skin and casted an orange glow on his skin. "Thanks, Mister! I feel much better!"

The immortal nodded his head and hopped off the rail, taking a step forward to stand behind the boy. "I'm glad. Now, it's quite late and I'm certain your mother must be worried about you. I think it's time for you to head home."

"Okay!"

"Be safe, boy." The Sorcerer King observed as the child version ran off, waving towards him in contentment and filled with a new sense of determination. He remained where he was standing until the boy had disappeared from sight before the warm sensations that had been flowing through his body vanished completely. He frowned, folding his arms once more. His cape fluttered behind him momentarily as the wind blew, again when a car sped by.

"After all, you'll be needing all the help you can get. Your fate is so heavy that one day, you will no doubt crumble and never get up to see those you cherish." Rotating away to face the opposite direction, he went back to wandering the streets, looking for his next victim to tear apart. "Humans aren't meant to bear such a weight on their shoulders without eventually falling apart. Much is their destiny and mortal fragility."

Pausing just for a moment, Sin couldn't help but glance back into the distance the boy had disappeared into. Eventually, he shook his head and went forward.

"Oh well..."


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

"So about the Arcobaleno, any plans on ever telling me about them?"

"Ah, I did mention that before, didn't I? Hmm...Where to start?"

"The beginning is always good."

"You would think that, but that's not always true. Sometimes the beginning is the hardest subject to convey and in this case, that's entirely accurate. To start, I've met them multiple times before they were cursed, interacting with them, sometimes even on a friendly level. I generally avoided getting _too_ close to them as I didn't want to mess the timeline too much. One time, I had an Arcobaleno chose me over Luche, refusing to join her little group, and had promptly thrown everything off. I managed to fix it though since I can manipulate the Tri-Ni-Sette to fit the new direction. The Arcobaleno _needed_ to be cursed so that Reborn could eventually meet the version that 'Tsuna' in that world and give him that push towards a different path, the correct path, even if it isn't related to mafia. If the curse fell apart too early then there would be another variation to ensure that meeting."

"But let me guess, that didn't always occur."

"No, sometimes Vongola Nono's sons lived. It happens. Anyway, back to the main topic. You've met all the Arcobaleno except for the original Sky bearer, Luche."

"Ah, Yuni's grandmother, right?"

"Yes. To be honest, I'm not partially fond of her. Aria is alright since she was raised up in the mafia world, so the ideals set there are part of her and Yuni is quite delightful despite everything. But Luche? No."

"I don't...understand."

"This is my frank decision: Luche is a liar and she betrayed her companions to their doomed fate. You know that her bloodline can catch glimpses of the future, right? Well, whenever I observed her, she never mentioned what would eventually happen even though she knew what was going to happen. When asked, she would just mention that the future was 'sad' or 'horrible' or 'not very pleasant'. Never once did she mention what would occur and never once did she attempt to change it. Some people believe that the future is set into stone, carved permanently with no option of deviations, but it's really not. A small, minor even, shift can ripple through the rest of the world. Luche didn't even attempt at that, not like her children. Yuni attempted to change everything by setting herself up because she knew she needed to get to the pacifiers within her grasp and that she would need to give up her life in the end to save everyone."

"But Luche did nothing..."

"Correct, she allowed her companions to suffer and fall into their doomed fates. Almost thirty years of suffering, that's not worth it even if the outcome ends happily."

"Oh..."

"Did you know? There were a couple of times when Kawahira managed to locate me and ask me to become the sky Arcobaleno."

"What? Really? How does that work?"

"Well, it messes things up since I can't really be cursed nor can I be controlled as well as the fact that I know how to get around such things. Curses are a specialty of mine as it's a sub division of magic, but it's my dark past that made me so good with them. However, it was probably for that _exact_ reason why he wanted _me_ instead of Luche. I was different, a variable that could shift everything towards a different path."

"I can definitely see that."

"Anyway, moving on..."

* * *

Complete and utter darkness.

Reborn couldn't remember when it had become so. All he remembered was that he had been staring out the window Tsuna had left through for a past two hours, waiting impatiently for the other's safe return (by the dark sensations bubbling in his chest during that time, he was almost tempted to actually hope for Tsuna's wellbeing). The world outside was completely silent, sleeping dead, and leaving Reborn with his own pondering and wild thoughts. As his mind jumped from one conclusion to another regarding the brunet's fate, it had rapidly and suddenly gone black, unknowingly losing consciousness. He couldn't remember what had caused it, how it had happened, or even when. One moment he had been pacing the shared bedroom, the next he was slowly regaining his sense of self from the floor. Opening his eyes questionably and suspiciously, he stared calculatingly up at the ceiling while mentally going through all the motions to identify if this had been a surprise attack. Just how had he fallen to the floor without knowing? He mentally went through a checklist, unable to feel any pain and a quick flex on his limbs told him instantly that he wasn't restrained. There were no extra presences in the area besides those he was familiar with. With all that evidence leading to the negative, he relaxed minimally and allowed his thoughts to wonder on _how_ this had occurred as there was no physical outside force.

As he sat up, it was that single movement that made him question something else. Everything felt... _different_.

He didn't feel restricted, like the world had been shrunken down to his level...or more like he had gotten _bigger_.

Within seconds, the hitman was peering down at his extended limbs and momentarily flexed his fingers in wonder. His hands... He knew them well. It wasn't...possible, was it? Had he actually gotten his wish? They were as they had been _before_ the curse. He still unmistakably remembered how they looked like despite it being about thirty years. Had he really been returned to normal?

Before he knew it, he was standing in the middle of the room, rushing towards a mirror that would reveal the very truth to his eyes, a truth he had given up of ever retaining. He needed to see his entire body, everything, and especially his face.

Luckily, Tsuna had a small hand mirror inside his desk. It was something Nana had placed there, one that neither males bothered with until now. Though it was small in size, it did its intended purpose in giving Reborn the view he needed. He could see him, the real him, his fully-grown adult body. A body he never thought he would ever return to or experience ever again and luckily, dressed in his old suit he had been wearing at the time of the curse incident.

As he continued to examine his handsome features, tugging gently at his curls, patting his cheeks, Reborn wasn't certain on where to go from this point onward. He had been returned to his adult form. He had his original body back and yet... he knew it came with a price, a price that Tsuna was no doubt paying or will pay.

_He should have never asked the brunet._

Squeezing his eyes shut and grinding his teeth together out of frustration, Reborn returned the mirror back to its original spot. Even though he had been granted his wish, he was still powerless in this mad game. Tsuna had all the cards and Reborn had absolutely nothing. He couldn't do anything. He could only wait and hope, something he despised. He's the strongest man alive, he had worked hard, suffered repeatedly, so that he would never know the meaning of powerlessness again. Even with all that, knowing that he needed to go after the brat, to ensure that he was okay, that he was alright...that that was impossible. He was running on nothing and the brunet had _everything_. All he could do was wait for the boy's return and eventually, Tsuna did return an hour after his revelation.

He had been sitting at the edge of their shared bed when he noticed the brunet suddenly appearing at the glass window out of the corner of his eyes. In those seconds, the hitman could pointedly pick out the clear exhaustion in those honey-colored eyes and _abnormally_ pale complexion, forcing all possible questions out of his mind as he focused on his lover's health. Immediately, Reborn was opening the glass frame to let the brunet in and stepped aside to allow room, but remained close enough for assistance. Shakily, Tsuna hopped down the ledge, stumbling slightly before catching himself by grasping onto the nearby desk. It was so obvious he was exhausted, having pushed himself past his usual standards considering his already weaken state. The strength and power to complete such a miracle (in Reborn's mind) had been beyond what a normal human being could accomplish and Tsuna was paying the toll of his selfish wish.

"You idiot." Muttering under his breath heatedly, he quickly wrapped his arms around the faltering teen and pulled him closer to his body, stabilizing all movements. The size difference compared to before was odd and it took a moment for Reborn to lighten his strength, still trying to familiarize his newly acquired height and weight. He was easily able to tuck Tsuna's head under his chin, who only came up to mid chest, keeping the boy upright. "You shouldn't have listened to me if you were going to be this weak afterwards."

Tsuna huffed, not minding the warmth wrapped tightly around him and buried himself into the long limbs. He knew that Reborn's mask was cracking because of him and yet he couldn't bring himself to glance up into those burning onyx eyes, too tired to attempt the action. "It's fine. I just need some rest for a day or two and I'll return to normal."

Reborn sneered, tugging Tsuna back so he could stare directly at the other in the eye. The bright moonlight was flooding the room, giving Reborn the perfect lighting to see those pale features glistering. It was like the poor boy had been drained wholly of blood, lips no longer red but a light purple and the blue vessels on the skin too obvious to be healthy. "No, it is _not_ fine! My priority is to train you and your health is included even if I'm no longer with Vongola. This is _not_ something to be considered forgivable. My selfish desire has just cost you years of your life. _I_ shortened it!"

Tsuna simply shook his head, "No, it really is fine. _I'll_ be fine. Everything will work out exactly how it's supposed to so stop worrying about me. You forget that I'm much older than you, Reborn." Almost teasing, he pulled back slightly so he could reach up and tenderly cupped the hitman's cheeks, letting the curls brush against his bare skin. He resisted a wince at his movement, not wanting to worry the other anymore than already. "Listen, you don't need to be the hitman 'Reborn' right now. I'm not a job or a mission or anything like that. You gave that up when you declared to Vongola Nono that you would return to being a freelance. As for why I did this despite knowing what would occur to me, it's because you so desperately wanted to be normal and I was going to grant you that wish regardless of what happened to me." Tsuna gave another stroke on that cheek, knowing he had the hitman's full attention. "I care for you, Reborn, and it's been a long time since I've ever felt this way for anyone. So instead of scolding me, you should be saying 'thank you'."

Huffing, Reborn tightened his grasp around the brunet and with one arm, reached up to grasp the side of Tsuna's face. " _Idiot_." Muttering that single word under his breath, he leaned over, letting their lips hover just inches away. He could feel the soft gentle wisps of breath along his skin, his eyes locked with Tsuna's, before eagerly slamming their mouths together at long last.

His eyes closed shut as he didn't need them open to know that Tsuna had fallen into shock from his sudden strike. Slowly, the tense muscles under his grip relaxed and Tsuna eased into the kiss, just enough to give the hitman the opening he desired. Prying those lips apart, Reborn slipped in tongue and ran it across every surface he could get to, leaving nothing untouched. His fingertips picked up the resulting full body shiver as he heard the muffled moan in the back of Tsuna's throat. The kiss had only been mere seconds long, but for them, it had felt like minutes as Reborn all but devoured the other.

Eventually, the hitman retracted, lips remaining just inches from each other, his dark eyes gazing down into those gentle honey-colored ones. His thumb tenderly stroked a cheek before threading his fingers through the soft tresses, enjoying the way Tsuna leaned agreeably into his touch.

"I wonder..." Tsuna muttered, eyes gazing towards Reborn's before leaning over, burying himself once more against the taller man's chest. "Who exactly is the biggest idiot." Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath of Reborn's scent, taking in the perfect mixture of cologne, coffee beans, and gunpowder.

The hitman huffed, "Cheeky bastard."

Chuckling lightly, he let out a sigh as his body eased up. "Reborn?"

"Hm?"

"Please catch me."

Reborn's eyebrows narrowed at the request. "Catch-" The questionable phrase clicked in his mind and he immediately reached down, stabling Tsuna's collapsing form as his strength easily held the brunet up against him. His onyx eyes examined the younger male's unconscious form, the grip that had been holding onto him now limp. "Damn..." He could feel the movement of Tsuna's chest against his own, which was all he needed to know that the other was still alive and breathing.

Sighing heavily, Reborn shuffled around the brunet's fallen body and lifted him up bridal style with practiced simplicity. Gazing down towards Tsuna, he huffed once more. "For someone so old, you sure know how to act like a child." With those words, he shuffled Tsuna's prone body into a better and more comfortable position before making his way towards their shared bed. Settling the teen near the edge of the wall, Reborn followed by sitting down onto the mattress, dripping into the creaky bed, as his body twisted to one side to observe the slumbering brunet. He pushed a few bangs to the side, observing the relaxed expression, before a hint of a smile slipped through his mask. "Of all the people I've met in my long life, I would have never expected it to be you that I would have feelings for."

Shuffling the covers from underneath Tsuna's body, he tugged them back to allow room for himself. Reborn stared at his hands momentarily, his adult hands, and clenched them together into a fist, digging his fingernails into the palms. It was good to be back, to be himself once more.

Reborn glanced towards the alarm clock and actually sighed. It was already past midnight and the strain of the curse removal was finally starting to hit him despite being unconscious for the entire process. Perhaps some rest would do him some good. He could deal with all this shit in the morning when he was awake.

With that in mind, he peeled off his jacket and shoes, neatly placing them on the desk chair before tucking his fedora on top to the bed stand. He would need to order new clothes for himself and sighed at the frustration that would bring. As he glanced around, curious as to where Leon had disappeared to, he spotted the chameleon crawling about on his old hammock, the lizard returning to his original form as well. He no longer had the ability to morph, but that was just fine. Running a hand through his hair, Reborn suppressed a yawn before shuffling into the sheets, tugging them up to cover both himself and his bed companion. Tsuna was dead asleep and Reborn could hear the soft whispers of his breath, bristling against his bare neck. The now ex-Arcobaleno observed his slumbering crush, examining the long eyelashes to the slightly bruised lips. He wanted to do _more_ , so much more. He wanted to devour the brunet whole, take him, claim him, mark him, touch each and every part of his body. He wanted to feel Tsuna pressed up heatedly against him, listening to those soft moans, and observing as Tsuna's expression cracked and crumbled underneath.

Except...

Tsuna is a teenager, fifteen in physical age, and as much as Reborn had done horrible things in the past, there was a line he wasn't willing to cross. Though, if he used their real age differences (not the physical), he didn't have any problems. He really didn't care, they were both above the consent age (mentally) and he was never the type to bypass something he profoundly desired. Still, he would rather avoid the odd stares and whispering. It wasn't attention he needed for someone of his high profile or Tsuna's, especially in Namimori where gossip traveled rapidly like a kid in a candy store.

Almost wanting to sigh heavily, he rolled onto his back to stare momentarily at the ceiling before reluctantly closing his eyes. He needed to stop thinking about this ridiculous stuff until morning. Right now, he needed some considerable rest, both for his mind and body. Reborn tugged the covers closer and slowly drifted away with Tsuna nestled against him.

* * *

Reborn actually sighed this time. He should have expected it when sleeping beside the brunet, considering Tsuna's bizarre cuddling tendencies. His dark eyes glanced over towards the slumbering brunet, whose face was tucked against his left arm and had his limbs sprawled around him, clutching the hitman as if he was an oversized teddy bear. Reborn could feel the light tickles of Tsuna's spiky hair nestling against his neck, but paid no mind to it. Mentally grumbling, he peered at the alarm clock, finding it way too early to rise, before yanking Tsuna closer for warmth. The brunet made a small noise in protest then went silent as if comfortable, unconsciously nudging closer.

Not wanting to bother with it, Reborn went back to sleep while keeping Tsuna pressed intimately against him. It was actually quite nice to have someone sleeping beside him so peacefully for once and not having to worry if they were an assassin. It didn't take long before he drifted off once more.

* * *

It was mid-morning when Reborn finally rose and it wasn't because of a pleasant nudging of overly warm limbs around his body. No, it was the rapid irksome banging on the front door of the Sawada household that managed to echo all the way through the building. Growling, he sat up and carefully detangled himself from Tsuna's limbs. He sat at the edge of the bed, blinking his eyes, and stretched the last bit of exhaustion from his body before focusing intently on the noise. It wasn't Tsuna's friends, who simply welcomed themselves inside as if they had lived here all their lives, and if not, they were willing to wait patiently for Nana to answer the front door. This person was more...impatient, increasingly so.

Finally, Reborn picked up the stomping of footsteps as Nana ran to open the door. A sharp click and the banging stopped completely. His sharp ears picked up a voice, demanding, and oh so familiar. He hadn't heard that voice in years. He didn't get to ponder long on the subject before Tsuna's bedroom door slammed wide open.

The hitman stared, blinking once, and allowed his eyes to travel over the intruding individual's body. Holding back a smirk, he skillfully kept his face blank. Looks like he wasn't the only one that was returned to his true form as the Colonello before him was no longer one year old in age, but twenty-four. He was wearing the same exact uniform before the curse, the features just as young as then.

Instead of responding with shock like Colonello expected, Reborn grinned. "Did it really take you that long to figure out what happened and run all the way here? So slow on the uptake." Standing up, he ran a hand through his hair, pushing back his messy locks. Once satisfied, he plucked his fedora off the nightstand, tugging it onto its usual spot on top of his head. "You're falling into Skull's stupidity standards."

There was a twitch in the blond's eye before he finally responded. "I take from your lack of surprise that you already knew, kora." The shock that had exploded in his expression vanished entirely at the realization, leaving only a grumble behind.

"I found out late last night." Almost tempted to roll his eyes, Reborn spun around to peer back at the bed where Tsuna was resting...or what appeared to be resting. It was at that moment he remembered that those arms wrapped tightly around him had been a little _too_ warm to be normal. Examining closer, the brunet was clearly struggling by the feverish, evident redness in his pale features, and rasping for breath. Sweat glistened on his forehead, even in the lack of light from the curtains being closed shut (which Reborn wasn't entirely sure on when that had happened). Giving a small 'tch' under his breath, he sat back down onto the edge of the bed and reached over with one hand, gently placing it on the forehead as he manually felt for a temperature. He was burning. "Damn," Twisting towards Colonello, who was imposing on the scene, he sneered. "If this is all you wanted to talk about then go, I have someone to look after."

Returning his fedora back onto the nightstand, he stood up to grab his cellphone and march to the bathroom door on the other side of the hallway. He was halfway pressing the memorized numbers of Shamal when he froze. Glancing back at Tsuna from the corner of his eyes, he sneered and turned the screen off. There was nothing the doctor would be able to do, considering Reborn already knew what was happening to the body. It was pointless. Instead, he grabbed a few towels and drenched them in ice cold water from the faucet before Colonello spoke up from behind as he squeezed each one dry.

"Aren't you curious as to how this happened? I mean, we're back to normal. It's a dream come true, kora."

Reborn didn't stop to answer, heading back to Tsuna's side. He could only help in keeping Tsuna's fever down as everything physically stabilized and waiting would be the most difficult part. He was never known for his patience. The hitman was placing down the first folded towel on the forehead when he noticed that Colonello was still talking in the background.

Obviously, the blond wasn't going to stop anytime soon. "Come on, Reborn. Even you must be a little curious as to how this happened." He paused as he let the idea float in his mind before he caught on the lack of surprise in Reborn's features. "Unless...you know exactly what happened and the reason as to why we've been returned to normal, kora."

Reborn almost wanted to roll his eyes at the apparent detection, but instead focused on the brunet. He had more important matters to deal with then the ramblings of an idiot. At least Colonello had a brain compared to others. The man could at least think and how close the ex-rain Arcobaleno came to the very truth of the matters. He settled at the edge of the bed, remaining dutifully close to the brunet, not wanting to leave the other for too long in case the situation slipped towards a downfall. He was tempted to run his fingers through those fluffy locks, but resisted. He had a visitor after all and he had no intention of letting Colonello know about how far he had fallen in love. Reborn tilted his head slightly, just enough to see the ex-rain Arcobaleno out of the corner of his left eye. "Look, we can talk about this later. I have other important things to attend to."

It was like the blond finally realized that there was someone else in the room besides his supposed teammate. Blue eyes observed Tsuna's pale complexion and sighed heavily in annoyance. Folding his arms, he stepped closer and simply studied the brunet. He had always figured there was something bizarrely off concerning the supposed teenager, but never quite got this close to actually form an opinion. There was also the fact that he hadn't quite met the brunet officially to make any substantial ideas on him. However, from what he could tell in the few seconds was that Reborn held Tsuna dearly, more so than a normal relationship of teacher and student. If anything, it looked similar to him and Lal... Colonello blinked at that idea and carefully scrutinized the details closer.

Except it was the _teacher_ yearning for the student, not the other way around.

The blond almost wanted to laugh, having figured out Reborn's little secret and the reason for all the rumors he had been hearing. "So it's true, kora..." Colonello whispered, stepping back to lean against the wall. He had no intention of leaving, not when he finally had the upper hand.

The hitman glanced up questionably, face impeccability straight as he stared at the blond. "What's true?"

"That you left Vongola to remain with the heir, that you didn't want to train the new heir, Federico, and that you became a freelance hitman once more with no ties, kora."

"What of it? It doesn't concern you on what I do or don't do."

This time, Colonello was the one to roll his eyes, grumbling something under his breath. "And you don't think that after all these years, after all the suffering we've went through together, that we didn't at least become friends, kora?"

Reborn almost twitched, but refrained, keeping his expression impassive. He despised people reading him. "Perhaps..." he admitted. Colonello had become close to him over those years, a familiar presence beside him. He enjoyed their arguments, their fights, their sqarmbling. Still... "But not that close. I have no plans on telling you every little detail that has happened in my life, just like you won't either."

" _So paranoid_."

The soft whisper snapped both men's attention away from each other and towards the sickly boy in the bed. Tsuna sighed softly, staring at the raven with a frown. Sweat still glistered on his forehead and his breathing was still forced. Regardless, it gave Reborn some comfort that Tsuna had actually woken up from his dead-like state.

"Tsuna..." Reborn spun around to face the immortal, concern flashing through those dark eyes. It didn't go unnoticed by Colonello, who smartly remained quiet. "How are you feeling?"

"Horrible, but it'll pass." The brunet shuffled slightly in bed so he could face Reborn without straining his neck. "You're too paranoid, Reborn."

Ignoring the comment, Reborn spoke, "I didn't call Shamal, so be grateful, brat. And I'm a hitman, I'm paranoid for a reason."

"So you say," There was fondness in Tsuna's raspy voice, the brunet completely focused on the other. He pulled the blankets up closer against his body, wrapping them around him tighter.

Colonello almost wanted to grumble in annoyance. He had been pushed aside, nearly forgotten about (though he doubted it as this is Reborn he's talking about). He hadn't expected Reborn to get this attached to anyone, especially after that had happened in the past with Luche and his dark profession. Mentally shaking his head, the blond slipped out of the room and closed the door behind him. It wouldn't be right to intervene in their little private moment.

As he headed down the stairs, he paused at the bottom of the steps and glanced back up curiously. It had been a long time since he last saw Reborn this concerned about anyone, the man keeping mostly to himself almost as if the whole world was out to get him (in a way, it was). Just how special was Tsuna in order to affect the generally aloof man this badly? It was only due to their history together that Colonello could tell that Reborn was obviously influenced (strangely to a teenager of all people and the ex-heir of Vongola).

There was also the issue of his return to adulthood, the breaking of the curse. Perhaps Tsuna had a hand in something about it? However, Colonello knew he wouldn't be able to pull out any details regarding it as Reborn would perceptibly hover around the other like a mother hen (mother hen, ha!). As far as he knew, Tsuna was plainly average if one took out his history.

Well, it didn't matter now. He wouldn't get a chance to investigate the brunet, not with Reborn hovering so closely and the brunet so ill. Still, Colonello had plenty of destinations onboard. He needed to talk with the rest of the now ex-Arcobalenos as well as figure out his own plans for the future now that Varia had called off the battles. It was just rumors, words on the market, but as far as he could tell, with the way Varia was pulling out their men in Namimori, it was likely true.

Would he return to Mafia Land? Or remain here in Namimori where everything interesting was occurring? Or find Lal Mirch and finally have that talk they had been delaying since the curse? Well, that decision was easy to make.

* * *

"So you're not going to get me help like last time?" Tsuna purposefully nudged closer to the hitman now that Colonello was gone.

"No point considering this isn't just some disease. I can tell there's no cure."

The brunet hmmed gently to himself before closing his eyes. "Don't worry, Reborn. I'll be moving about by tomorrow afternoon." His right eye peeked open slightly, observing the other. "You'll stay with me though, right?"

The ex-sun Arcobaleno shrugged, "Obviously."

* * *

It didn't take long before word got about that Tsuna had fallen ill once more, the lack of his presence in school had making things a little too obvious. Tsuna didn't mind, though it did get a little lonely without Reborn around to keep him company. The hitman had to eventually make some calls to his fellow ex-Arcobaleno and have a little talk with Colonello for this morning's stunt. Lambo and I-Pin had wandered by quietly, gazing at him fearfully as if scared he would break and disappear. Tsuna knew he hadn't really gotten close to either kids considering his cold nature, but he couldn't help but admit it was a little cute how they looked up to him.

It was during that time that Hayato and Takeshi decided to visit and considering it was a little past lunchtime, the two teens had skipped school the moment they could escape from Hibari's watchful eyes. Tsuna blinked momentarily as his bedroom door creaked opened, revealing the two guardians peeking through the cracks as if checking if was okay to enter. He almost wanted to roll his eyes, but instead he sat up in bed, picking up the lukewarm washcloth off his forehead before it fell onto his lap. Placing it aside, he shuffled slightly under the sheets so that he could face the two easier. "Hayato. Takeshi. It's been a while."

Takeshi grinned, taking that as an evident invitation for entrance. "Yeah, I've been so busy training with Pops. I didn't mean to avoid you." He didn't mention that his half Vongola rain ring was missing despite Tsuna's eyes catching the empty place. "But word has gotten around that the Varia has pulled back. Kinda disappointing. I was hoping for a fight."

Hayato huffed annoyingly, folding his arms against his chest. "Oh please, you wouldn't have stood a chance. This is Varia for god's sake. They're an elite assassination group. I doubt you would have even been worth the challenge to them."

"Eh? But I worked really hard on my training to win." Takeshi almost looked like he was about to pout, gripping his weapon closer to his body. It was clear he had been eager for a battle to prove his skills, to prove his worth to Tsuna and the rest of the world. "Well, it wouldn't have been too bad. It might have even been fun!"

"You're unbelievable."

Tsuna snorted, a hint of a smile slipping onto his lips. It seems that despite everything that had happened and the obvious secrets he held, the two would always be close (much to Hayato's ire). It was no wonder the other Tsunas out there had gotten so close to them, became friends with them. Still, he knew the daunting truth of the matters surrounding him and his fate. "I'm glad to see that you two haven't changed despite everything occurring."

"Really?" Takeshi smiled, placing his hands against his hips and away from his weapon as topics shifted. "I'd like to think we have."

Tsuna blinked once before tilting his head. "Oh? How so?"

"I'd like to think we've grown stronger, physically and mentally."

Both teens stared at their boss as Tsuna's lips twitched and soon after. Hayato snorted in amusement of the statement. Takeshi obviously looked confused, but continued to grin nonetheless.

The immortal glanced outside for a moment, peering through the closed window that had the curtain cracked open halfway. It was enough to allow light in, but dark enough that he could still rest easily. "Hey, I have a question for the both of you." At the puzzled looks he received, he continued, "If I were to tell you to join a group, would you do so? Even if I had no plans on joining said group?"

The two guardians glanced at each other, puzzled by the question, with Hayato being the first to speak up. "What do you mean, Tsuna? Do you mean Vongola? And we don't really want to join anything without you."

The brunet shook his head, "No, I will no longer be joining Vongola. I'm no longer considered an heir anymore as Frederico, Nono's son, has reappeared to take over. It's the reason as to why Varia pulled back so suddenly." Leaning back down flat against the bed, he sighed once more as he peered up at the ceiling. "As you've noticeably given back the Vongola half rings, you're free to do whatever you want. You can head back to your normal lives or you can join Vongola as Frederico's guardians."

"Absolutely not!" Hayato screamed, loud enough to make Takeshi beside him jump at the volume, and stepped forward with his hands clenched tightly into a fist. "You're my boss! The only man I will follow, no one else but you!"

Takeshi took that moment to add, "Yeah, we're following you because we're friends." He settled along the edge of the bed, letting his weight dip into the mattress. "Just because you won't become some boss doesn't change anything about how we feel about you, Tsuna." He nudged his sheathed sword aside to make his sitting position more comfortable. "And we plan on being with you wherever you go."

Tsuna didn't react to that admission, tugging the covers closer to his shoulders. He was feeling better compared to the first time he had woken up from Colonello's appearance, but that didn't change the fact that he had done some permanent damage to this body. There was no point in getting Veil to prolong this corpse's lifespan, not when he was already reaching the end. "You two are absolute idiots." Muttering under his breath, he rolled slightly to the side to face the human mortals. At the shocked expressions they held towards him, Tsuna continued, "You're young. You should be able to choose to live however you want to. Takeshi, you can still continue baseball and join the ivy league and Hayato, you can become a famous pianist and play all over the world." He paused just for a slight moment to let that information sink in and spoke again soon after, not wanting to grant them a chance to retort, he didn't want them to. "Once all of this is settled with Vongola, I have no plans on remaining in Namimori and where I go, neither of you can follow."

The two guardians blinked questionably as they were thrown for another loop. "I don't understand," Hayato was the one that answered, looking slightly distraught over Tsuna's announcement, but swiftly gathered his willpower to answer. "But I've decided on something. No matter what happens, where you go, I'll always be on your side, even if I can't physically be there. We may not have known each other for very long, but I trust you to have the best interest for those you care about."

"Even if it means leaving them behind?" Tsuna's blunt answer had both teens flinching in response. His eyes were sharp, testing the two individually. He knew he was being cruel, but it was the truth. He would have to leave them both sooner or later, whether they died first because of their human lifespan or his job as one of the Kings of Hell took precedence. Hesitation was obvious in their emotionally clouded eyes as they didn't know how to respond.

Tsuna sighed, "Look, there are plenty of things neither of you know about me. I'm keeping a large amount of secrets to myself. The person that knows the most so far is Reborn, but even he doesn't know everything." He shuffled once more in bed, grumbling at the brief soreness of his body that hurriedly spread through his movements. "I did promise that I would reveal some of my secrets and that will come within a few days."

"But that doesn't explain why you would have to leave us." Takeshi butted in, staring at his closest friend depressingly. It was like Tsuna was saying that their friendship would vanish, that it was incompatible, and in a twisted way, the brunet was saying exactly that.

"My secret will and it won't matter in the end. It'll happen regardless if you want it to or not." Tsuna's honey-colored eyes didn't reveal a hint of emotion, but it was obvious he was trying to comfort the two teens. "However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't enjoy what we currently have right now while we still can."

Hayato simply huffed, pocketing his hands into his pants pockets. "Always so decisive. Something I really like about you and at the same time, despise."

Tsuna couldn't help but smirk at that while Takeshi blinked once before laughing out a reply. "Hayato, I didn't know you could actually hate someone like that."

"I don't hate Tsuna!" The silver-haired teen was already fuming, rotating around with his cheeks a dark red. "He's just infuriating and so damn secretive about everything! It's like he can't give a straight and clear cut answer."

"Well, whatever, we'll get our answers soon enough." With that, the two teens wandered out the bedroom, finding the conversation already over. They both spoke their byes and promises to see Tsuna later. The immortal didn't mind, he needed some silence to settle his thoughts. However, he wasn't left alone for long before Reborn came slipping in like a shadow, glancing at him momentarily before locking the door behind. It was obvious the hitman had been eavesdropping, he had expected the ex-Arcobaleno to do so, waiting until the storm and rain guardians had left before reclaiming his spot at Tsuna's side.

Tsuna scooted back in bed, leaning more towards the wall. He had purposefully made room for the hitman, inviting the man to slide in and share the warmth.

Reborn huffed, flicking his fedora. "Tempting but no." He edged closer to the mattress regardless, pulling his hands out from his pockets. Settling down on the open space, he stared down at the brunet, dark eyes glowing. As he examined the sickling, one hand slipped forward and carefully glided over Tsuna's right cheek as if afraid the other would break at any moment. He didn't want Tsuna to leave him, not after finding his resolution to stay with him till the end, not after throwing away all that had made him, abandoning his values and honor for the person that held his heart.

Tsuna, as if reading his mind, reached up to the hand, burying his face against the warm limb. "Do you love me?"

The hitman twitched. Despite having those feelings towards the other, he never did like the word 'love'. Love was something that was told in fairytales, love was something that made people do idiotic things, something that had caused even him to change. "Asking that ridiculous question doesn't mean I'll answer."

The immortal didn't even bat an eye at the blunt response, simply gazing expectantly at the other.

Reborn was tempted to roll his eyes. "Anyway, I have something to tell you. All the Vongola half-rings that were handed out has been returned to Basil while you were sleeping. They had to struggle with Hibari as he wasn't quite keen on giving something that was his back." Everyone else had handed over the trinkets without a fuss, though the darkened expressions around their eyes told exactly what they thought about the whole situation. Luckily, the mist half had never been handed over to Mukuro as it might have been a pointless search on Basil's part to regain it back.

"That should be obvious considering I'm no longer running for heir."

Reborn spun back, his dark eyes continuing to examine his lover. "What's your plan? Your long-term goal? I know you've been scheming ever since I arrived here as your tutor and as far as I can tell, things have been falling into place exactly as you wanted them." His eyes narrowed slightly as if hoping to catch something that would give him the impossible clue to the inner workings of Tsuna's mind. "Don't think Vongola will just let you go. You're a loose end to them and you know they don't like that at all. They kill off loose ends, make sure they can never come back to haunt or turn against them."

Tsuna closed his eyes, unaffected by the accusation. He kept Reborn's hand close, refusing to release him. "I'm very aware of that, but don't worry, Reborn. Everything will work out perfectly." It was purposefully vague and it only served to frustrate Reborn more. Reopening his eyes, Tsuna chuckled. "Kiss me?"

"What?" The hitman, surprised by the simple request, allowed his thoughts regarding the future to pass. He huffed irritatingly before leaning over to gently place his lips against Tsuna's cheek.

The brunet curiously blinked once before chuckling softly. "Honestly, I was expecting you to take whatever you wanted as yours, to claim me, to take me."

Reborn snorted, "Well, someone is obviously a teenager, so no."

"You're actually thinking about appearance? How rare."

"If you weren't ill, I'd punish you for that remark."

Tsuna chuckled once more, still nestled close to the side of the wall. "Do you want to join me in bed?"

This time, Reborn actually rolled his eyes and got up, walking straight out of the room. He didn't need this type of temptation to frustrate him. There would be plenty of time to enjoy himself once the dealings with Vongola was complete and the issues regarding Tsuna's age had vanished. He might not be known as the most moral being out there, but he didn't need people gossiping about him for being with someone who, physically, was in middle school and him in his late twenties. Regardless, Vongola came first.

And needed to prepare for the worst.

* * *

Iemitsu looked over his men carefully with a sick grin, nodding his head in approval at the armed sight of all of them. They were some of the best trained men in CEDEF, all ready for a fight, and geared up for maximum conflict, considering who their enemies were. He spun around from the group and peered into the distance from one of the training grounds of a CEDEF base in Japan. He had gotten his direct orders from Frederico and it was high time to get things started.

It was time to invade Namimori and take out Sawada Tsunayoshi and his supporters once and for all.

It was time to finish off his so-called son once and for all.


	43. Chapter 43

"Over time, I've gained companions who've joined me, much like my husband, Reborn. I let them wander the dimensions, do whatever they like, but I know they will always come back to me despite everything. To them, to me, we're family. We're a clan that's tightly-knitted together."

"Companions?"

"I can pull people out of different worlds and dimensions and if they are compatible with me, grant them immorality and powers much like I did to Reborn. They live as long as I'm alive. I don't do it often though as I'm quite picky (a little less so compared to other Kings and Queens) and if I did, well, I think I might have too many to deal with considering how long I've been alive."

"Understandable. So who are they?"

"Well, there's about six in total (which has no coordination to the guardians) including Reborn. He was the first that I brought in and taught me how to love and care again. With him at my side, I was able to accept people and allow them into my life. The person that was first to be included afterwards is a vampire name Acerola. She's quite the blond beauty with blood red eyes. Before you ask, no, vampires aren't like those you've heard of in the movies and with my abilities included, she gained some extras. Acerola is powerful, not enough to become the vampire queen in the demonic realm but in some dimensions, she can."

"Well, I shouldn't be surprised to hear about vampires when there are demons and immortals running around. I mean, your husband, Reborn, is a demon, right?"

"Somewhat, it's more half, honestly."

"Half?"

"Later. Anyway, another that was included is a man named Adam. He's an unfortunate human that was later turned cyborg through a series of tragic events. Things didn't work out too well back in his original dimension and I stumbled across him when he was near death. He generally hangs around my home, securing the surroundings, and keeping himself connected to the data world. Very useful and loyal considering I don't generally stay around home. He keeps the place safe and alerts me of any visitors."

"Cyborgs too?"

"Remember, some dimensions are more advanced than others. The demonic realm only follows some considering our abilities makes up the rest. As for the last three, I'll get into them later. Those three combined with Reborn, earned me a brand new title that overtook anything else I've been called in the past. Everyone knows me as the 'Sorcerer King' and by that brand new title. Of course, those said four gained their own in return."

* * *

The next time Tsuna woke up, it was because of a presence in his room that didn't belong to any of the residents of the household. Still, he recognized it, which wasn't hard considering he had encountered this individual multiple times over various dimensions. The creeping sensation simply rolled off him now. Opening his eyes sleepily, he peered over towards the person's hidden spot at the very corner of his room, away from the door and light, and though there was no one physically there, he could see and sense that the person was hidden within the illusion. It was the extra person standing beside the first that got him curious and he blinked once, his expression never changing to reveal his surprise. "I see you took her under your wing."

A silence followed as if testing the waters before a dark chuckle shattered the tense atmosphere, illuminating that there was indeed someone there. "Kufufu, I see my illusions don't work on you. Perhaps it's the infamous hyper intuition you Vongolas have." The mist covering the duo evaporated, revealing Mukuro and his new charge.

"If you haven't heard already, I'm no longer considered Vongola or an heir."

"Oh, I've heard." Mukuro stepped forward, a wide grin on his lips almost like he was teasing, though it held no effect on the immortal. "Personally, I think it's a stupid decision."

Tsuna couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that response, sitting up in bed. The blankets pooled around his waist and he stretched backwards once, resisting a yawn that was slowly making its way up his throat. "Why? Because I'm the better option? Or do you think it's easier to possess me? To manipulate me?"

"Perhaps..." The so-called charge Mukuro had taken in finally spoke, interrupting the current conversation even though her voice was gentle and almost unheard at first. Both males glanced at her curiously, giving her time to continue as she flinched back at the sudden attention. "Maybe...it's because Mukuro-sama believes you'll try to do more good than harm to the world than the other heir. That perhaps you'll try to protect those less fortunate instead of damning them..."

Tsuna blinked once before shaking his head. He could see her point, but what he planned on doing, what he was going to do, would never bring such revolutions about. All there would be left was destruction and decay. "Sadly, that won't happen. If anything, I'll be the worse option on that list." Flopping back down onto his bed, he stared up at the ceiling listlessly. "Let's just say I have absolutely no issues on letting this world burn to oblivion or watch as someone dies before me. I've done it before and I'll do it again without any hesitation. It's who I am. I destroy everything around me without thinking." He didn't peak at the two, continuing to stare above. "As you won't become guardians, I suggest you try to live a somewhat normal life together. Unless, of course, you wish to stay within the mafia. If so, then I know someone who will take you in as I won't be able to."

"Kufufu, you think we'll just change like that?"

This time Tsuna glanced over. "Perhaps not, but you also know you need to survive too and your best chances is with my recommended option. I know I will simply damn you to a worse fate than what you've experienced in your little visits to Hell. If it was just you, it wouldn't matter what happened to your fate, but you have three others to take care of."

Mukuro went quiet at that, unable to answer. He couldn't help the shiver that ran up his spine, unsure of how to respond to the hidden threats. Taking a step back, he managed to keep his mask attached, preventing others from recognizing his fear.

Chrome was the one to step forward, her shyness too obvious and almost to the point of crippling. She was still hiding half her body behind the older teenager and cradled her hands together nervously as if it was an itching habit. However, because Mukuro was there with her, she bore some of her own confidence despite remaining attached to the other by the hip. "Boss, I believe that Mukuro-sama cares for you in his own way."

The male illusionist twitched, "Nagi, don't say things that aren't true." Huffing annoyingly, his multi-colored eyes narrowed at his companion, almost like he was offended.

Tsuna couldn't help but raise an eyebrow curiously at the blunt comment, amused. "I believe it's more of a curiosity and wanting to pay back a debt he believes he owes me." His eyes peered towards Mukuro purposefully. "I helped you because I felt like it, nothing more than that. I had the power and knowledge to do something, so I did. However, you can't help me nor follow me so I suggest looking elsewhere. The only one that _can_ is Reborn." Tsuna closed his eyes momentarily. "He has the mentality to push through anything and not break under pressure, under my conditions and corruption."

"I don't...understand..."

"To everyone, on the outside, I'm calm, but inside, I bear a darkness so thick that it overwhelms any that gets too close. To know madness, to dwell in it, to suffer it, and yet return just tinged isn't easy. I keep everything so tightly knotted to prevent people from learning." Tsuna sighed heavily. His eyes glanced momentarily to the door. He knew Reborn was eagerly listening in, sensing the male's presence with practiced ease. "Mukuro, what you experienced in those labs is nothing more than a minor portion of what I contain and bear and can do. I have a long history of madness and what I've already told, no, showed Reborn some of the horrors I've willingly done to get this far. And I have every intention on continuing it for that is what I am. I hold no hesitation in dragging people down to my level, to watch them do the horrors I have done."

Both illusionists simply stared in fear and wonder, unsure of how to respond. They only understood half of the references, but even with just that, they couldn't stop the icy shiver that fell down their spines.

The brunet simply snorted. "I know for a fact that if you were to connect with me, you will drown in my madness. It will devour you whole and leave you barren to the rest of the world. 'Mukuro' would cease to exist and in his place will be a vicious creature hell bent on tormenting, tearing apart all those within touching distance. There would be nothing left but an empty shell drenched in blood and despair, a puppet that will follow his master's words like it's the law." Raising a hand up, he swept his bangs aside, motioning that he would rather move on from this topic. He had already made his point. There was nothing left now but to let the two settle into the information. "Now then, I believe this conversation is over. Was there anything else you wanted to ask me before you leave?"

Mukuro's lips twitched, unsure on his response before glancing towards his companion. Chrome remained still like a statue, clearly awaiting orders, despite everything in her eyes stating that she wanted to run. Seeing as there was nothing else, Mukuro shook his head and stepped back, intending on simply vanishing into the mist. This wasn't a conversation he intended on deriving more about and he needed time to ponder through everything. It was obvious that he was avoiding Tsuna's eyes, afraid of what he might perceive. As the mist began to envelope them, Mukuro heavily sighed, filled with despondency. "I do hope that one day you plan on letting people get a little closer to you than just the Arcobaleno."

Tsuna blinked once, "I do. Not sure when, but it won't be happening anytime soon. I'm secretive by nature, you know? And there aren't very many that will accept my true self, you included."

Mukuro rolled his eyes before letting their bodies disappear, not wanting to bother expending on that topic. It wasn't one he needed to waste energy and time on. There were people that weren't worth the effort to crack open, not when he could get pulled into the darkness. Illusionists were fragile little things when it came to their minds. If one was too strong, they would disappear in response, eaten away.

Tsuna let the following silence calm his irritated mind and slowly pulled the blankets back over his body. He hadn't intended on revealing that small tad bit of information, but it didn't matter in the end. It was the truth. He couldn't take anyone that didn't know madness, that was familiar with it, that had lived it and survived and crawled away with their very fingers torn asunder. Only a few seconds passed before a voice rang out deeply into the silence, the eavesdropper finally making his presence known.

"Such cruelty..." Reborn remarked as he opened the bedroom door, slipping inside as if he belonged there and in a way, he did. Tsuna is his and his alone. He had no plans on sharing the person that held his heart with anyone else. He's selfish, he always has been. His dark eyes wandered over the teen, noting contentedly that color was finally returning to Tsuna's features. "How much of it is true?"

"All of it."

"Is that why you won't allow Takeshi and Hayato to join you?"

"They're young. They don't understand the true horrors of beyond this world." Tsuna scouted over to allow room for the other to settle beside him, which Reborn followed. The dip in the mattress had him rolling towards the other. "I would kill them and what remained of their bodies would be nothing more than a tragedy."

Reborn huffed, leaning down so he could be beside his lover, and carefully wrapped his arms around the smaller male. He pulled Tsuna in tight, his head resting against the brunet's chest with his legs curled on top of the blankets. All that was separating them was a mere sheet in-between. "I want to take you apart, inch by inch, to peel apart all your layers and see what you're hiding underneath. I don't just want to know you, I want to understand every little piece of you, to know what makes you, _you_."

Tsuna twitched as he threaded his fingers through Reborn's dark hair momentarily before finally toying with the curls, the fedora left forgotten on the stand since morning. "Then why don't you? You can do whatever you want to me and I won't offer a hint of resistance."

Growling in frustration, Reborn sneered. "Stop that." He squeezed a little tighter, not caring that he was practically crushing the physically younger male. He didn't bother with the hands, enjoying the gentle sensation they brought to his chaotic mind, calming his nerves.

"Well, I believe the visitors of the day has come to an end." Tsuna continued to pet those raven locks, sensing his lover's body slowly relaxing under his gentle touches. "And I have no intention of letting you leave my side now that I've finally got you in my grasp." His fingers glowed gently, not enough to alarm the hitman, who was obviously the target.

Within seconds, the ex-Arcobaleno's grasp weakened and his eyes slowly began to shut. He was falling asleep. Reborn recognized the symptoms but didn't resist the notion. Maneuvering his body into a more comfortable position, he surrendered to the obvious spell and allowed himself to drift off, not before muttering a "Of course, you would" out of frustration under his breath. Edged to the side so he wouldn't be crushing Tsuna completely, he buried his face into the crook of his neck before finally giving in, closing his eyes shut. Within moments, his breathing evened out and his expression relaxed into the forced rest.

The corner of Tsuna's lips tugged into a half smile as he continued to thread his fingers. Eventually, he pulled away and shuffled slightly in place. He flicked his fingers and whisked Reborn's jacket and shoes away, not desiring to hear the hitman complain later about his wrinkled clothes. Nestling closer, he closed his eyes to join his lover, content with how his future was turning out.

* * *

Tsuna's near-full recovery took two days before he was up and moving about, slowly regaining strength back into those overused disintegrating muscles. It was annoying how weak a human body was. He would most certainly be gleeful the moment he shreds this corpse away forever and return back to his original. He was growing tired of his restrictions and wanted to be free.

Still, habits were hard to break and eventually, Nana asked him to head out for some groceries. Tsuna didn't mind, he needed the fresh air after being confined to his room for so long. However, Reborn hovered close by, refusing to leave his side for too long. It was obvious the other was still worried about his condition, dark onyx eyes always observing.

The trip to the store had been peaceful, the two following back into old routines despite the difference in Reborn's size. People stared as usual, some lingering on the hitman longer than normal mainly because of his looks and the fact that he was with Cursed-Tsuna. Still, no one bothered with either, keeping their distance and their questions to themselves.

It was the trip back, both males carrying paper bags, that someone dared to interrupt their time together.

"Reborn! Love!"

The hitman paused for a second, recognizing the voice. Tsuna, on the other hand, kept walking, fully intending on getting the groceries back home considering he had perishables. Plus, he wasn't exactly keen on the being with the two or interested, wanting to keep his distance for privacy.

Reborn glanced back, spotting the familiar pink haired teenager running towards him. Bianchi had a hand raised up, rapidly waving while her smile brilliantly shined and long luscious hair danced in the wind. It had been a while since he had last seen her, too busy with Vongola matters, Tsuna, and his own personal issues to concentrate on anything else. As she stepped closer to him, Reborn couldn't help but notice the difference at observing her from his old point of view and now. She looked so young, shoved into a cruel world that had forced her to grow up all too fast, barely having much of a childhood and warping her views on what was considered normal. His eyes momentarily trailed back to Tsuna, who had left him behind.

"So it's true! You _have_ regained your old handsome body. I'm so happy for you, Love!" Bianchi giggled seductively, nudging closer towards the man she had been chasing obsessively for years. She wrapped a sly arm around Reborn's, tugging the man closer and gently rubbed against his body, her intentions obvious as how blue the sky was. Raising her other hand up, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and continued to smile. There was nothing but fondness and lust in those eyes, gazing disarmingly at the hitman, who towered over her by a head length. "We should celebrate, Reborn! Perhaps go back to my place afterwards?"

The hitman almost twitched and yet his expression remained the same. If he had been younger by years, he would have gladly taken up the offer, but now...Now, it just felt wrong. This wasn't love or adoration. It was lust. Nothing more than that and he had already found someone his heart ached frantically for. "Sorry, Bianchi." With a quick tug, he retracted away from the teenager and stepped towards the direction Tsuna had taken. "But I'm afraid I'm not interested." He straightened out his clothes and took another step, his eyes glancing at Tsuna's retreating back. Almost letting out a 'tch' at the obvious abandonment from the brunet's case, he sighed.

Bianchi froze at the sudden shift, eyes widening slightly before transforming back to her usual state. "Oh, silly Reborn. You don't mean any of that. Come now, let's head back to my place, Love."

The ex-Arcobaleno peered back, one hand in his pocket while the other carried the bags, as his expression remained unreadable, closed off for the pink-haired teen. "Bianchi." His tone was dark and rich and oh so foreboding. It immediately sent a shiver down the teen's spine, forcing her to flinch back. " _Enough_. It was fine when I was cursed as a baby and you developed feelings for me. I knew that eventually you would wander away like everyone else once you realized that there was no life in remaining by my side." He angled his body so that only half of himself could be seen. The setting sun in the distance darkened around his edges, creating an illusion of anger. "There was never a chance of _ever_ having a decent relationship with a baby. You were deluding yourself and eventually, you would figure out that I never had any feelings towards you except as a student. You're smart. You'd figure out that things between us were never going to happen."

Bianchi stepped forward, still calm, yet unable to hide her shaken mentality. "I would never leave your side! I love you! I've devoted myself to you entirely! I'll do anything you want me to just to stay by your side!"

"And that there is the other problem." Reborn spoke, voice eerily composed and cold. "I don't want a lover like that, so obedient like a dog, never once fighting back against its master. If I'm going to have a _real_ lover, I want one completely independent, powerful enough to stand beside me or before me. One that won't be a liability. One that would openly fight against me, both mentally and physically, and one that would accept me for who I am and not whatever delusion they have created in their minds. Bianchi, you only see me as the most powerful hitman, not as 'Reborn'."

The pink-haired girl took a shaky step back, one that Reborn met pushing forward. He towered over the teenager, his eyes entirely dark from under the brim of his fedora. He was no longer the 'Reborn' that was aloof, cunning, and having little amusement and tolerance with his surroundings. No, this was the hitman Reborn that killed hundreds of people, that had hands dyed deep in a rich red, that wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet in his enemies' (or allies') brain if they held any hint of discord with him, and would torture them to gain any slight of information before ending their miserable lives. This is the Reborn everyone feared, that was whispered about.

"What I don't need is a so-called overly devoted obsessed teenager that hadn't even reached adulthood, that still follows daddy's little commands whenever he asks, that doesn't know nor understand what a _normal_ family relationship is, that believes in a imagined version of who I am, and doesn't understand a single fucking thing in what really matters in this world."

"R-Reborn...?"

The hitman was intimidating on a good day, but now, he was downright scary. He was a nightmare to every person that knew him, that knew if they stepped onto his bad side there was no coming back. They would be killed and would never see it coming. His dark eyes were narrowed dangerously sharp under his fedora, the sun setting on his back as it cast a surrounding shadow around his body. "I've humored you while cursed because I liked you. You were a child, just learning how to make your way in this world, and I wanted to show you how to survive, how to fight this bitter place. I wanted to see you prosper and grow up into a fine adult. Nothing, and I mean _nothing_ , was ever going to happen between us because there was a line that separated us, so deep and long the Grand Canyon looked like a mere squiggle. You were _never_ going to be able to cross it and I wasn't going to bother in helping you. I suggest you find someone else to dally with, someone your own age, your own-"

" _Reborn_."

The two assassins snapped towards Tsuna, who had cut off that harsh dialogue before it could continue any further. The brunet had obviously spun around from where he had been treading and was staring at the both of them blankly. Even then, even with everything that had happened, no emotion passed through Tsuna's eyes.

Sighing, the brunet continued now that he had both assassins' occupied attention. "Stop that, Reborn. You're being too harsh." He stepped forward some more and reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind his left ear, despite the awkwardness of his hands, still carrying the grocery bags in both. His honey-colored eyes glanced towards Bianchi, whose expression was pale like a ghost, her hands shaking visibly as if there as a chill in the air. There most likely was, originating from Reborn himself from the way he was glowering. He closed his eyes. "Sorry, Bianchi. Reborn hasn't had much of a good day, so you'll have to forgive him on how...harsh he's being." Glancing towards the ex-Arcobaleno, meeting his gaze, Tsuna shook his head. Eventually, he returned his gaze to Bianchi. "However, you should listen to Reborn's advice. He's never wrong on deciding on what's the best for the people he knows and care about."

"I-I..." Bianchi's stutter was whispered, unable to focus on anything. It was clear she was still in shock.

Tsuna paid no attention and rotated back to the hitman. "Let's go, Reborn. Those groceries aren't going to walk themselves back home."

The raven didn't say anything in return before giving a quiet snort as he followed behind the brunet. He never took a glance back to the shell-shocked teen he left behind, following the one person he had set his sights on.

* * *

Tsuna could feel it. The dread and...the freedom he would soon have. He could sense the large amount of bodies heading his way, all armed to the teeth to prepare for a battle he couldn't win, not yet. He sighed as he rubbed his eyes tiredly before retracting back, gazing down at his pale limbs. This body didn't have much time left. It was already getting close to the end. He had to admit, he would never miss this useless body, though too constricted and subdued for his standards. He would never possess another body like this ever again. It wasn't worth the resulting trouble.

Glancing out his bedroom window towards the impending storm that was making its way to Namimori, he peered at Reborn. The hitman would be leaving soon to meet up with his fellow ex-Arcobaleno once more, hoping to gain some insider information regarding Vongola's intentions. Tsuna honestly thought it was useless considering he already knew what was about to happen. Still, he needed to get Reborn out of the way for the time being, not wanting to have any chances that he would follow him.

Just a few more hours...

And then it would be all over.

* * *

"Mom."

Nana almost jumped at the sudden voice behind her, nearly dropping the plate she had been drying with a hand towel. She spun around, eyes wide in shock, before finally relaxing when she saw who it was. "Tsuna, you scared me!" She could hear the kids watching television in the background, laughing or arguing about something on the screen. She knew Reborn had gone out to talk with a few of his 'friends', something about gathering information. She didn't know what exactly, but even she could sense that something horrible was making its way closer. And she knew that it had something to do with her son.

Tsuna stood there impassively, eyes blank as if examining the woman before her thoroughly. To Nana, he had never been considered a strange child. After all, she wasn't entirely normal either, too oblivious for her own good, something she knew all too well. She knew she wasn't smart, too accepting of everything around her, but she had hoped that despite all her flaws that her child would grow up just fine. And he had, Tsuna really had grown up wonderful.

The brunet shifted slightly to one side, almost like he was pondering about something heavy. Nana kept her silence, waiting for the immortal to say whatever he had on his mind. Eventually, he spoke, a voice filled with heaviness.

" _I've come here to say goodbye_."

Nana blinked. "Good...bye?" The word rolled off her tongue all wrong. She blinked against in question, feeling unsettled by that frank information. "What do you mean, Tsuna? Goodbye?" She tilted her head curiously, carefully placing the plate she drying on the table.

The brunet didn't do anything but stand there. "Nana," He spoke her real name, not the one he had been calling her for years, and it was enough to snap the woman to pay attention. "We both know you're not as air-headed as you appear. You knew that something was wrong with me sometime down the road of raising me, but you didn't do anything against that. You either ignored it or accepted it. Perhaps a mix of both in a way. Either way, you allowed me to stay. However," He paused for a moment. "That time has ended and so I've come to say goodbye."

The brunette didn't completely understand, she understood none of that, and stepped around the island counter to stand before her child. "I don't know what you mean. Tsuna, what are you talking about?" The background noises faded, unable to hear anything else. She couldn't hear the television or the children or the thunder that was occurring just outside her window. It was like everything was gone...

"The Tsuna you gave birth to died from his cancer long ago." As those words left his lips, his eyes watched for the following reaction of disbelief. It was obvious she wanted to talk about that, but the immortal continued, "Iemitsu realized that. It's the reason why he hated me so much. However, I didn't kill your son much to what he likes to believe. I simply took his place since that was what Tsuna wished for."

Nana's confusion was bubbling all over her face, but didn't say a word as she knew the being before her wasn't quite done.

"Your son made a wish as he died, a very selfless wish, when he accidentally called out to me." The reminder of that meeting was enough to get the brunet's lips to twitch. "He didn't want you to be left alone because your husband was never around, because he knew how lonely you already felt. I agreed to his wish and took his place. It's the reason why the miracle recovery of his body had happened in the first place." Tsuna stepped closer and reached forward, grasping Nana's hand. "He wanted you to be happy and you are now. As that was the notion of the wish, it's finally time for me to leave."

The silence that followed saturated the room and it was clear that neither knew what else to say next. Tsuna was ready to head out, but he awaited for Nana's response first. He had plenty of time. There was no hurry for the end. However, what she said next wasn't what he had expected.

The mother of the household smiled brilliantly like she was the shining moonlight that would light the way through the darkness of the night. "Even if you're not the Tsuna I gave birth to, you're still my son and I raised you to be a respectable being. As such, I expect you come back home, you hear?"

Tsuna stared, blinking once. The omitting noise that had been surrounding them vanished completely and the tenseness shattered like glass. That smile, it was genuine.

"Or at least visit, okay? I want to see you more often than that father of yours."

For a second, the brunet laughed. "I see, still the same despite learning the truth. Shouldn't be surprised." Shrugging his shoulders, he pulled away and spun around. "Alright then, you'll see me again. I'll be here in the morning when you come to check on me. Just don't be surprised at the sight you see."

Nana smiled. "Okay, Tsuna. Have fun, okay!"

"Oh, I will." The dark smile that appeared on Tsuna's face was never visible to the mother of the household, even as he turned the corner to head out the door. He should have expected that some things would never change. "By the way, you're welcome to continue calling me Tsuna, but my more official name is Sinister."

"Okay, see you soon, Tsuna!"

As the brunet left the house and took the first few steps towards the front yard, he ignored the bitter scream that followed behind. He continued on even as the scream became broken sobs. It didn't stop the clenching of his heart in return.

She both lost both her son and husband all at once, even if she didn't realized the latter just yet.

* * *

Tsuna didn't bother to say goodbye to anyone else, didn't say anything as he left the household to his impending fate. It was better this way, easier too. He wouldn't have to explain anything to anyone and that would be it. For a moment, he glanced back at the house he had called home for the last couple of years and smiled. He had never considered Nana as his mother, but she was close to it and that was all that really mattered.

It was dark outside and the lights within the building were bright despite the rain that fell. The streets were empty, no cars in sight. It was as if the entire town was holding its breath, waiting for the silence that would return.

Shaking his head, Tsuna stepped away with his hands tucked into his pockets as he made his way through the heavy downpour.

'It's better this way, after all.'

* * *

It was an hour since entering the city when ten unidentifiable black cars appeared, each one with five armed men inside and the truck filled with more weapons that could possibly be needed. It was better to be safe and prepared. After all, Namimori had never been quite the normal place. There was a strangeness in the air that seemed to corrupt the people, that left them just as outlandish. People in the mafia suspected that it was Vongola Primo's fault, having brought the very air he breathed to darken this fresh one. Despite that, it was the prime location to hide families away because no one ever noticed anything in this town or that it was merely forgotten.

Eventually, a figure appeared along the barren streets and the cars slowed down to a stop. People inside the vehicles stared in question, uncertain of their commands before their leader made his move, stepping out.

Iemitsu almost huffed out of amusement, but kept his face composed, his eyes never leaving Tsuna's form. His men stood behind him as they followed his commands, the falling rain unbothered even when it soaked everyone to the bone within seconds. The harsh training taught throughout the years kept everyone absolutely still, like a scene in a war movie where the two sides were in a standoff, except Tsuna was on his own against an army.

The blond spoke first, breaking the obvious tension, as his voice was toned down by the pelting beats of raindrops. "I didn't except you to actually surrender so willingly. I expected more of a fight."

Tsuna huffed, hands resting in his pockets. His normally spiky hair was drooping around his face, pulled down by the heavy weight of water. He momentarily reached up with one hand to shove some of his bangs aside, tucking them behind his ears, before returning his hand back into the pocket. "You didn't exactly give me much of a choice. You would either kill everyone or just me, so it made matters quite obvious." Tsuna narrowed his eyes. "Are you really that willing to kill for Frederico? To go that far? To upset the balance?"

Iemitsu answered without skipping a beat. "It's for the sake of Vongola. There cannot be two active heirs for the throne even if one doesn't want it. I understood exactly what would happen if I offered you and someone else were to appear later on. It would be a battle, one that would destroy Vongola from the inside by splitting it into two sides. So when the two heirs appeared, I decided to step up and take care of the matter personally considering one of the heirs is my... _son_." The CEDEF leader spat the word out with disgust, as if the very thought of calling the being before him that was offensive. "The life of my so-called son or Vongola, the choice was easy."

The brunet simply wanted to sigh at that very moment, to tell the blond about how stupid he was, and that everything he was doing wasn't the correct path. However, Tsuna kept quiet. He felt no need in helping his enemy, to warn him of his self-destruction, and that things could have been different between them if only he had actually tried. No, things were set in stone and no reasoning would change that. Tsuna simply continued to stare, knowing exactly what was going to happen next. It didn't bother him though, the thought of being killed. He truly didn't feel a single emotion bubbling up from within, to run, to cry, to just do something other than stand there blankly.

There was nothing and so he continued to stand there.

He was ready.

He didn't even blink when Iemitsu pulled out a handgun from behind his back, hidden under the black jacket, nor when it was raised up, pointing directly at him. Tsuna had already seen all of this, the future occurring as it should.

A small gentle breeze rustled by, changing the direction of the rain momentarily. Droplets fell down his skin continuously, the coldness touching his warm flesh bitterly, and he took a deep breath. His honey-colored eyes continued to stare forward at the end of the barrel of the gun. The CEDEF leader circled around him once as if expecting a final attempt of escape, of backup appearing at the last moment, but Tsuna had no intention. He had come here for his end, one that was going to happen regardless because of his rotting flesh.

This would just make things faster and so much easier.

"Goodbye, not-son."

Tsuna almost raised an eyebrow at that comment, wanting to laugh, but he didn't get much of a chance as the trigger was pulled. A loud bang rang in his ears momentarily before everything began to fade to black from a piercing sharp pain in his forehead.

The last thing he saw was Iemitsu's grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little choppy here and there but kinda necessary to keep this chapter going without blogging it down with more information and unnecessary dialogue. If anyone can guess the two mentioned characters at the beginning, give yourself a cookie. I needed characters from different places to add to Tsuna's abilities and ones I didn't need to change the background for too much.
> 
> Before I forget, does anyone know of a good name for Reborn much like how I have Sinister to Tsuna? He's the only character I don't have one for.


	44. Chapter 44

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by Pure Red Crane

"Iemitsu...actually killed you?"

"What did you expect? Are you surprised that a man that had devoted his entire life to Vongola to care more about his family over his famiglia? I told you I would die when the Varia arrived to town. It might have been after, but their arrival was the obvious catalyst to my downfall."

"..."

"Don't be upset. My relationship with that man is completely different than your own. As I've already told you, each dimension is different and so, each person is slightly different as well."

"Still..."

"You're too kind, you know that?"

* * *

Darkness. A familiar sensation he had lived within for hundreds of years. It wasn't anything scary, something to be feared. No, it was a comforting sensation, a sensation that had been with him whenever he was alone, a warm blanket that would wrap around his body and keep him calm, warm, and welcomed. Darkness wasn't something to be feared, but embraced, to be allowed to slither into one's life willingly or not. It came and went, pushed away by the light before springing back at the first chance. It would always be there, flickering in and out of existence.

After all, light cannot exist without darkness.

It was what hid in the darkness that was concerning, that needed to be watched out for. After all, one couldn't see what was hidden within until it was too late, even as those claws wrapped around for the kill. The best part was that he was those said claws that ripped through those outsiders.

Honey-colored eyes snapped open and a sharp intake of breath resounded in the empty space. A figure leaned across him, shadowing his face from the dim lights shining above, too bright after being in the darkness. The shift in forms was uncomfortable, but he paid no mind to the stretch, orange shaded eyes focusing on the being before him. After all, he recognized those familiar features, one that were completely identical to his own.

Tsunayoshi grinned.

"Welcome back, Tsuna. Or should I say, _Sinister_."

* * *

It was over.

Iemitsu almost crackled out a sick laughter as that information slid into his very soul. He had killed his imposter-of-a-son, shot him at point blank in-between the eyes and ended his fake life. The body, no, corpse, was lying flat against the hard cement, water pooling around the fallen form. Blood oozed out of the hole he had created, sliding down the forehead and behind. It mixed into the rain water, swirling in circles around the body, before draining. The colored evidence was washed away, diluted till nothingness. The corpse was still, the color rapidly paling until a sheer white, and the rain continued to fall from the sky above. A flash of lightning flickered then a resounding boom of thunder, loud enough to quiver the glass windows of the cars.

Iemitsu finally put down the gun, letting his arm flop aimlessly to his side. His face was still trapped in its smile, gleeful despite the tragedy he had purposefully created. His soon-to-be boss would be proud of him and things would go back to how they were before everything had happened with his so-called son. The not-so catastrophic death of the child would shush the underworld for a few months, not even Xanxus would attempt anything during the mourning period. It was a time where Federico could take control of Vongola underneath everyone's noses.

Everything was working out perfectly.

"Alright, men, we made our future boss happy today. Good job, everyone." The grin on his face was unnatural in a way, from how he was standing over the teen's broken body. The men didn't pay any mind to it. "However, things aren't over yet. We still need to take care of Sawada Tsunayoshi's supporters. This will happen tomorrow now that the main target has been defeated. For tonight, we shall return to home base and get out of this frigid rain." As Iemitsu spun around, he heard a sudden splash in the resounding silence. He blinked and then blinked again. There should be no one else here except for them, the area completely blocked off from any outsiders.

Unless it was Reborn...The only one that could break through their barriers.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed a tall figure sauntering towards them from out of the darkness. Dressed in a mostly white suit and draped with a red clock that fluttered in the wind despite the heavy pour down, the individual appeared almost twisted in the setting. No, it was more like the rain wasn't touching him, sliding off like he wasn't there, like it was being repelled. A hood covered the face, barely revealing the hair of the man underneath, and because of the distance, it was difficult to make out the color. However, it was clear the character was male by the lack of upper bumps. Slick black leather shoes splashed through the puddles, the only thing alerting everyone to his presence.

No one spoke at first, curious about the abrupt newcomer, even as he stepped towards the fallen body. The male stood impassively above the corpse before he kneeled down, his cape folding neatly behind him in the water puddles. He paid no mind to it. It wasn't as if the surrounding water was affecting him. The stranger reached over towards the corpse's face, gently closing the open empty eyes, and his fingers lingered at the left cheek. Still, no words were spared, all eyes staring in wonder and question.

No, it was more like they _couldn't_ speak, like there was something in the very air that was preventing them.

Finally, Iemitsu broke through the state. "Who are you? And how did you get here? This place was blocked off."

The male peered up at the inquiries, leisurely rising to his feet, before tilting his head to one side. "Shouldn't it be obvious?" he spoke evenly, unbothered by the armed men before him or by the corpse lying at his feet. Reaching up, he pulled his hood back, revealing honey eyes tinged with orange and luscious caramel-colored hair, both of which could only belong to one individual. He raised his right hand further up to brush a few strands of hair that had fallen into his face. All the men stared in shock as their eyes rapidly snapped between the newcomer and the one on the ground, especially Iemitsu.

"You...You're...That's _impossible_."

The man just stared, purposefully giving time for the blond to compute. "Is it now?"

" _Tsuna_..."

The brunet closed his eyes before huffing, as if this was an everyday matter, like it wasn't unusual for him to unexpectedly reappear after being killed just moments ago. "Yes, that's my name. However, I'm the Tsuna you decided to kill, the Tsuna that came from another dimension because your son had a wish." It was obvious that the brunet had _finally_ returned to his original body...the one that had been his and his only since eons ago, the one where restraints didn't exist. There wasn't anything left holding him back now, the weak human form he once had no longer part of him. He had all his powers right at his fingertips. Tsuna broke out into a dark smile, the rush of power humming within welcomingly. "Before I couldn't quite use my full abilities, but now that's no longer an issue. And my name isn't Tsuna." The immortal glared underneath his bangs, the air condensing around him as if the gravity pull of the planet had suddenly strengthened.

No, gravity has been shifted, the pressure pulling down unforgivably. One man fell to his knees at the pressure.

" _It's Sinister_."

He waved his hand and suddenly the world stopped moving. The rain was frozen into place, the droplets levitating in midair. The puddles weren't swirling at his feet any longer. The world had gone completely silent, as if something had gone missing. Tsuna blinked once, reaching out to touch a droplet, observing curiously as it vibrated against his fingertip. It rippled from his touch and the second he retracted, it went completely still once more.

Controlling time was simple. He had learned this power from his demonic companion.

Iemitsu and his men remained frozen, just like everything else, bodies trapped in mid motion. However, for their mockeries, Tsuna kept their minds awake. They could still hear and see, but were statues. Tsuna didn't pay any mind to their frantic distress, allowing them to suffer.

Slowly, he stepped towards the group, his smile gone and replaced with nothing. "I can do anything I want to. I can destroy this world with a flick of my hand. I can turn all of you into rodents. I can even drag you into Hell and watch in absolute delight as you're eaten alive by the darkness. I hold more power than a human could ever imagine." Despite Tsuna's little rant, his voice remained even in tone, his expression hardly ever changing. "Because of that, I've been called a God by your kind multiple times over the generations. However, I have no intention of doing anything like that."

The silence between the two groups was unsettling and Tsuna simply retained his role. He didn't move, staring with no lick of care in those orange-tingled eyes. Within seconds, screams of agony broke out among the men, as the spell he held over them weakened.

"I'm just here to finish this nonsense."

Iemitsu remained untouched, but could see out from the corner of his eyes as his men were twisted into various _impossible_ positions. The sounds of bones snapping, of flesh splitting, of limbs being torn apart, echoed among the panicked screams. It was horrifying for the CEDEF leader to learn how a person could crudely move like that, an invisible force making them appear like nothing but putty, like toys. Eventually, the screams stopped and all that was left was mere silence. That went away as the world restarted, the rain pouring down as a blur.

Tsuna stood calmly in the rain, his expression impassive. His eyes momentarily glanced around the pile of bodies he had created before finally resting on Iemitsu. He hadn't moved an inch from his spot. "And now you're the only one left and I have already decided on what to do to _you_ , what will make you feel absolute _misery_." The last two words were hissed, tingled with anger.

Stepping closer, his feet splashed into the puddles, his shoes clicking against the cement. The wind was howling, blood draining around their feet, and yet no one else appeared. They were all alone. Iemitsu, however, still couldn't move, even when the world had gone back to normal, when everything had restarted. He was all that remained.

Tsuna halted just a foot before the blond and chuckled menacingly. "It's the perfect punishment for you." Reaching up, he sprayed his gloved fingers along Iemitsu's chest, ignoring the gasp from the man. Underneath, there was a small red glow before lines of black began to sprout outward, hidden underneath the clothes. "It's a powerful curse, one that will slowly kill you. It's quite simple too. You'll feel like there are snakes wrapped around your entire body, squeezing you, and with each second that passes, it'll get stronger, more painful. Eventually, your body will break. Your bones will crumble under the pressure. It'll be like placing pressure on a balloon until it pops."

He purposefully gave a squeeze, giving Iemitsu a taste of what he would be facing till the day he dies. He had even given uncouth descriptive details just to taunt the man.

"There's no stopping it. My curses are too powerful for anyone on this universe to stop. And even if you did manage to find someone, they aren't going to help you, not if it means stepping on my toes." As Tsuna stepped back, his arms fell back against his side. The rain still avoided him, falling around as if there was some invisible shield above his head. "I've given you roughly three days, though I suspect you'll spend most of them in agony, trapped in a room as you struggle to take your next breath."

Tsuna was enjoying this. He had missed all of this, the ability to torment his victims, to make them suffer. He wasn't ruling a part of Hell just because he had the power. No, he had his role, his job, and this was part of it. And he loved every moment he got.

It had always been a delightful fun despite how repetitive it had gotten over the years, despite how bored he had become in turn.

"Oh and before I forget, don't bother revealing my identity, written or verbal. I've already sealed that, but you'll understand the moment you attempt. That is if you can get through the gasping as your throat closes up on you." Tsuna took another step back, putting some distance between himself and the blond. He had done what he needed to do, what he wanted to do, and now all he had left was to wait. "Now run."

Iemitsu didn't say another word before scrambling into the distance, abandoning his once men and still running cars in the street. Tsuna watched momentarily as the blond vanished into the dark streets and heavy rain, until there was no longer a blur. Despite the confrontation being finished, the brunet continued to stand there, letting the rain calm his nerves (even if it never once touched him). His body throbbed with power, power he hadn't felt or used since being squeezed into that human form behind him. It was wonderful to be free. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath before sighing heavily.

Ah, there he is.

As he reopened them, the immortal spun around to the right, spotting the little presence that had attempted to sneak up on him from the edges of the building. Tsuna couldn't see the individual, but he could sense the man standing there in the darkness, a familiar presence he knew far too well. He felt the strength of the wind picking up speed, flapping his cape.

Stepping forward, he spoke. "Hello, Reborn."

The hitman didn't reply, but did shift out into the open, his dark eyes trailing from Tsuna to the dead corpse of the human brunet and finally to the various bodies that littered in the back. It was easy to tell there was confusion, anger, and fear all mixed into one, radiating in those black orbs. Reborn didn't need to do anything to know that the teenage body was long gone and eventually peered at the being standing calmly in the rain. "How are you alive?"

Tsuna answered without skipping a beat, "My former physical form died so I returned to my original one. It's much like how possession works and one could easily interpret it that way. I had simply taken over the other Tsuna's body, bringing it back to life. I have mentioned multiple times that it was a corpse waiting to go."

Reborn grinded his teeth together, tilting his fedora downward to cover his eyes. Leon was hiding on his shoulders, protected from the rain. "Then how exactly did _this_ happen? I want to know everything. Why are you still here? Why are there bodies?"

Tsuna shifted closer, sliding into Reborn's personal space, before tilting his head to the right. He waved his right hand momentarily, calling up an invisible wall to appear above their heads, keeping the rain from getting onto Reborn (though it was useless considering the hitman was completely soaked). "You already know the answer, even before coming to the scene, and I'm certain that you can connect the dots on regarding what happened." That was true. Reborn had, but he still wanted to hear it from Tsuna's lips. It was hard to look away from the brunet, not when there was an older version and the human one becoming waterlogged in the streets. "However, we both know that Iemitsu is too stubborn to change his mind and so I decided that this was best option. That body was already failing, so making it a sacrifice was easy. That and there's certain things that can't work with me being a teenager."

Reborn momentarily raised his eyebrows at the comment. His mind processed the information, twisting it around to find the definite truth in those vague answers. He honestly didn't mind the dead bodies of the CEDEF, he had been expecting it since Tsuna wasn't someone that would be taken down so easily. That and they were his enemies and they had come here for an assassination attempt (he wasn't sure if should be called a success or a failure). It was unforgivable. There was also the unexplained crushing sensation in his chest of Tsuna being killed, the pang of despair and hopelessness. He knew the reason for it, his feelings for the brunet overriding anything he believed as reasonable. And even more so, he had simply pushed the idea of Tsuna coming back to life aside, used to the strangeness of his life ever since the immortal had appeared. Well, more like when he jumped and his life had been strange ever since he can remember (starting with the Arcobaleno curse).

Still, he narrowed his eyes, focusing on the last comment. "What do you mean by that?"

Tsuna smiled softly, shifting closer to the point where they were touching. He chuckled in amusement before reaching upward, wrapping his arms around Reborn's neck. Though the height difference was there, Reborn's adult form towering over Tsuna's by a head, neither cared. With one quick shove, Tsuna had forced their lips together for a kiss. It was simple, nothing fancy to start, just the pressing of lips together as if testing the grounds. However, the sensation of their bodies touching, of the heat slowly beginning to build between them, it was more than enough to get Reborn to realize exactly what the other desired.

Tsuna was now an adult and as such, could do things that a teenager couldn't. Or well, things that would be frowned upon as a teenager. Reborn had his morals.

As the brunet broke their lips apart, both taking a small puff of air, Reborn immediately dived right back in. He took control of the kiss, prying those soft lips open, and listened intently for a sound he had wanted to hear since sorting his feelings. And he heard it. A small muffled gasp and those honey-colored eyes closed shut in content, pressing up against the human. Reborn chuckled in amusement, their lips still attached, and decided that he liked the idea of Tsuna being an adult now. As he shifted slightly to change attack, the arms wrapped around his neck suddenly pulled forward.

In his surprise, Tsuna took advantage and did things with his tongue and lips that left Reborn feeling weak to his knees. A moan slipped through him, something that hadn't happened before from just a mere kiss. Normally it was the other way around, not him, not this type of weakness. Reborn always made his lovers or one nightstands melt into his embrace, throwing away all thoughts from a mere touch. This time, Tsuna was reversing their positions.

The brunet broke the kiss and unwrapped his hands, letting them trail downwards to Reborn's waist line. His lips reattached against the crook of the hitman's neck, listening for a small gasp that followed, and automatically tilting his head to the opposite side. His fingers made quick work in yanking up Reborn's button-down shirt from where it had been tucked in and spreading his cold fingers along the warm flesh, teasingly gliding across the abdomen. He felt the shiver that followed vibrating against his fingertips, especially when his fingers dipped under the belt.

"Shit, Tsuna..." Reborn muttered under his breath, his grip tightening against the other along the shoulders.

Smirking against the skin, Tsuna spoke, purposefully letting his warm breath tickle against the neck. "You may have experience and be excellent in the fields of sex, but I've been alive for a _long_ time. I am no virgin. I know exactly what I want, and it helps when there are experts in the demon world to give me a little hand on the learning curve."

Reborn growled at that, both irritated that there were others that had touched what he wanted to claim as his and yet completely turned on by that very little fact. He wanted nothing more than to slam the immortal against something, preferably hard, and utterly ravish the other until Tsuna was nothing more than a fumbling mess. Licking his lips at the prospective thought, he reached up with one hand to suddenly grasp a fist full of brown hair, yanking the other back. A hiss escaped from Tsuna's lips, followed by a small moan when Reborn nibbled along his Adam's apple, sliding his lips up and down that muscle before biting at the pulse. The brunet's eyes were open wide, peering up at the pouring rain that would never hit him. Smiling softly, Tsuna concentrated as his magic swirled around them both and the surrounding world shifted, fading in and out before a familiar setting settled in place. He had teleported them both to his bedroom, intentions obvious.

Reborn momentarily pulled back to peer around the area curiously, surprised that such a thing had happened in the first place. He wasn't used to magic, much less exposed to some of the stronger kinds.

Tsuna smirked, small but there, peering up at the other mischievously. "Now that I have everything back, I can do whatever I want. I'm more than powerful enough to destroy this entire world or rule it as a god."

Reborn almost wanted to laugh. He had known that Tsuna was powerful, the memories had given him all indications, and yet that never once bothered him. Why would it? Why would he fear someone that truly loved him? Grinning, he spoke in a tone he often used to get people to obey his every command. "And yet here you are, about to get fucked senseless by a mere human."

The brunet shivered at the implications of that pitch, biting down on his bottom lip playfully soon after, knowing Reborn's gaze would fall to them. "I know better than to underestimate humans. Your kind are stubborn creatures when you want to be."

Reborn hummed in response, his hands drifting down to Tsuna's shoulders. He found the clasp that held up the clock and undid it with a sharp snap, letting it slide to the floor. Without the clock, it was easier to maneuver around Tsuna's lithe form, unbuttoning the white vest next. As he did so, he placed soft butterfly kisses along the exposed neck, watching intently from the corner of his eyes as Tsuna tilted his head to the side in response.

"You've got quite a few layers here, Tsuna."

The brunet moaned gently, blinking his eyes rapidly before gathering his wits together to speak. "I could use magic to strip us bare if you'd like." Reaching forward, his fingers found Reborn's shirt and began undoing the buttons.

"And not have this delightful opportunity to strip you?" Chuckling, Reborn managed to get the vest off as well as the black long-sleeve shirt, adding to the pile behind. He shifted his arms slightly to let Tsuna take off both his jacket and blouse, hearing it flop heavily to the floor due to the extra weight of water mixed in. The holsters that held Reborn's guns followed and then his belts. The hitman immediately plucked his fedora off, Leon resting along the edges, and carefully placed it on bookcase far from reach.

"I figured. You wouldn't miss this for anything. You want to take me apart and claim me as your own."

" _Obviously_."

Dressed only in their pants and shoes (Tsuna's gloves already off), the brunet reached up to wrap his arms around Reborn's neck once more and jumped. His legs pivoted around Reborn's waist, the hitman easily catching the other and holding him up. Of course, that didn't stop Reborn from groping the brunet's ass with a smirk. Tsuna didn't mind, his arms pulling their bodies closer for warmth.

"Reborn," For a moment, a serious tone slipped into Tsuna's voice, enough so that the hitman pulled back slightly to stare into those orange-tinged eyes. "Reborn, don't think this doesn't apply to me as well. I may not exactly be a demon, but I'm more like one than anything else and if there's one thing we share in common, its possessiveness. So when I claim you as mine, I really do mean _mine_." His fingers ran through the wet black locks, slipping a sinister smile onto those red lips. "I will bind you to myself and won't ever let you go until I say so."

Reborn shivered at the implementations, unsure if it was a good thing or bad. He leaned towards the earlier. He had never been claimed before, many have tried, none have succeeded, not even Vongola and their contracts.

Tsuna chuckled, breaking the tension. "But I won't do anything like that tonight. Tonight, I'm going to allow you to do anything you want to my body."

Now _that_ was something the hitman could agree to. He smirked crookedly and lifted Tsuna up a little before slamming him down onto the bed, intentions oh-so-very clear. They fell down together and Reborn went for the attack, hands wandering over that smooth body and lips gliding everywhere they could. He would leave nothing unscathed, undisturbed, listening to those delightful breathless moans, and worked at the white pants Tsuna still had on, yanking them off along with the underwear in one go. Pulling back, his eyes greedily wandered over the brunet's naked form, licking his lips at the sight before him. He was settled between the legs, spread wide open for access, before leaning forward for another kiss.

It had been a long time since he had sex and he was going to enjoy every single moment of it. He was going to take his time to have Tsuna withering beneath him, gasping out in pleasure, tugging aimlessly at the bed streets underneath. He would memorize every little twitch of his body, tease him until the brunet was begging, before finally taking him, bringing them both to their peak.

Reborn almost smirked at his thoughts. He knew better. Tsuna wasn't going to make it easy, it never was. The now-man was proud, almost as much as Reborn was. It would be a fight to the finish to see who cracked first, and strangely, the hitman didn't see Tsuna being the one to go under first. Even as he felt the faint whisper of touches against his body, Reborn could only chuckle.

Yes, tonight would be a good night.

* * *

Reborn groaned softly as the unfiltered sunlight from the window woke him up. The warmth of it was pleasant against his bare skin, except when peeking through his eyelids, stirring him to consciousness. Rolling over and away for cover, the hitman bundled up against his bed companion, wrapping his arms around the individual. He twitched when he felt a warm puff of air against his cheek and reluctantly opened his eyes, peering groggily straight at the brunet nestled beside him. He blinked a few times to clear his vision, surprised he had allowed himself to slumber that deeply before gazing at his lover with a fond smile. Tsuna was snuggled against him, curled perfectly around his long limbs. The sun shined warmly in that caramel-colored hair, never touching his face considering he was buried into Reborn's chest.

'Ah...That's right.' Reborn needed a few seconds to get his brain functioning from the night before, the memories too clear and vivid in details. He could still remember the burning sensation Tsuna's fingers left behind, the touch of his skin, and even the way those eyelashes fluttered at every thrust. The hitman licked his lips at the mere thought and with his right arm, as his left was wrapped around Tsuna's waist, he reached up to touch the cool cheek. It was as soft and supple as he remembered and when he cupped the cheek, he leaned over for a gentle kiss. 'I'm so definitely in love...'

As his lips brushed along Tsuna's skin, never quite making it for that kiss, those honey-colored eyes slowly peered open. Reborn couldn't help but pause. It was like the other hadn't gotten any rest last night from the way he stared, wide awake.

"So greedy." The immortal muttered underneath his breath before closing off the distance himself, connecting their lips.

Reborn quietly laughed as he broke away, tightening his grasp around the brunet. "Can't help it when I have such a delectable treat in front of me."

Humming gently, Tsuna went for another kiss. It was short and sweet like the last one, pressing their naked bodies together, covered only by thin sheets on top. The sheet fell of his shoulders, revealing creamy sun-kissed skin underneath. "Well, Reborn, I don't mind if you eat me up. It's been a while for me, excluding last night's...activities." The slight pause at the end had Tsuna deliberately smiling, intentions obvious. He flicked his hand and the curtains closed shut, blocking out all the morning light.

Reborn couldn't help but laugh, rolling over on top of his lover, and instantaneously pinned him down. He was settled once more in-between Tsuna's legs, the sheets falling completely away. He hummed at the sight below him, taking in everything greedily. In the dark, it hadn't been so obvious but Tsuna's body was smooth, untouched, unblemished. Reborn suspected it had to do with Tsuna's kind. His own, however, was decorated in scars and cuts, markings that told him of his hardships, of his failures. They were his battle wounds he had gained over the years as a professional hitman. He didn't care much for the sight, it gave him character and it reminded him of his past struggles. It reminded him to keep pushing forward, to never surrender without a fight.

Pushing those depressing thoughts away, the human focused his attention back on the delicious vision below him. "Morning sex sounds lovely." Reborn muttered huskily under his breath.

The immortal reached up, wrapping his arms around his lover's neck, pulling him closer. "We'll need to take a shower after all this. I'm sure you'll be up for another round there, yes?"

"Oh?" Reborn grinned lewdly, grinding their hips together to gather a reaction. Tsuna shivered, squirming slightly as he urged forward for more contact. "Now that's something I can enjoy. I like the way you're thinking."

Tsuna just smiled, pulling Reborn further down for another kiss. He didn't mind letting his lover have all the reins on this relationship. He found it quite relaxing instead, for once letting someone else take charge. For now, of course.

* * *

The next time Tsuna woke up was when Nana opened his bedroom door. He was curled up with his back against Reborn's chest, whose arms were wrapped tightly around him. The hitman's face was nestled into his hair and was clearly fast asleep, exhaustion finally hitting the human once again. They sadly didn't make it to the shower, too keen on continuing while in bed. The steady rise and fall of Reborn's chest against his back and the soft puffs of breath on his neck made Tsuna just want to relax entirely and fall right back into the darkness of slumber.

That was until Nana came poking in. She took one look at the scattered clothes and their nestled bodies on the bed before breaking out into a knowing smile. Tsuna carefully shifted in bed, raising a finger against his lips so not to stir the sleeping hitman. The mother of the household quietly giggled before closing the door carefully shut, letting the couple have their alone time.

Tsuna almost wanted to shake his head before nestling back into Reborn's grasp and closing his eyes once more. He was would deal with everything later, once he was finished playing catch up with his own work back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> I tried to write a smut scene but it just...wouldn't come to me. It was like it was avoiding me completely. I'll try again later when I get the inspiration and will add up a post regarding it.


	45. Chapter 45

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Struggled with this chapter a bit. Got too long because it wouldn't stop and there was just so much content I had to fit in. The last few chapters should be short...ish.
> 
> Beta'd Pure Red Crane

"So you mentioned four companions that gave you a new title? I know Reborn is one of them, so who are the other three?"

"Yes. One of them is name Tabatha. She's a fire-based demon that I befriended. She's interesting and Reborn absolutely adores her, mainly because she's horribly sadistic. Enjoys causing harm to multiple people, torture especially, which she learned from me. But, hmm, how to explain her exactly?"

"Besides what you just told me?" There was a sigh. "Is it good or bad interesting? From the details, I'd say bad."

"Good actually...though my definition will most likely be different than yours. Anyway, she used to be a guardian for a gate to Hell before I picked her up. She was far too powerful to be placed there, but her attitude and inability to work with other people had her sentenced at that station as punishment. It didn't help when it came to her size."

"Size?"

"She's on the shorter end, smaller than me, and looks like a teenager, so people tend to make fun of her. Obviously, she doesn't react well to such treatments and retaliates violently, which leads to the reason why she's always being sentenced in that lowly position. And of course, her joy at causing harm, even to her own kind."

"Ah."

"So I picked her up and eventually found out that she was perfect for creating mass amounts of destruction. With my mix of magic flowing through her veins, she was able to obliterate worlds and, when she wanted to toy with people, she would purposefully downgrade her abilities by creating various forms of starvation. Her very surroundings would burn at her mere presence, sizzling until it self-evaporated. She also wields a flame broadsword that's much larger than her, by the way. I believe it's to make up for her lack of size."

"There's a whole bunch of things you just stated that I want to question, but I'll go with the most confusing one: starvation?"

"Yes, she creates famine among the various worlds and universes."

* * *

Beep.

Beep.

Reborn's right eyebrow twitched at the sudden sound, slowly being drawn out of his restful slumber. He hadn't meant to fall asleep once more, but he was exhausted and the warmth of Tsuna being all bundled up against him only pushed him further into the darkness.

Beep.

His fingers twitched this time and when he felt a shuffle against him, he slowly opened his eyes. Apparently, the warm body beside him was slowly retracting, something he didn't want. "Tsuna?"

The brunet peered back for a moment, leaning over for a quick peck on Reborn's forehead before sitting up. "Evening, Reborn." The sheets pooled around his waist and Tsuna threaded a hand through his caramel-colored hair, pushing back any locks that had fallen into his face. Stretching soon after, arms above his head, there was the tell-tale crack that followed.

Before the hitman could speak up, Tsuna summoned a cell phone to his right hand. It wasn't the one Reborn was used to seeing, but one completely different, one with technology far too advanced to have reached this time period. He could tell by its unique appearance. Just before Tsuna flicked the screen on, it gave another beeping sound, identifying the original reason as to why Reborn had first woken up. The brunet swished across the surface, ending the continuation of the sound and, at the same time, spilling excessively bright light into the darkened room.

"What is it, Tsuna?" Reborn questioned, shifting forward in bed to get closer, his eyes trying to read the material on screen.

The immortal was quiet for a few seconds before eventually glancing over. "Work apparently." Sighing, the phone vanished from his hand. "Now that I'm back in my original form, I'll need to head back and do my appointed job. Tsunayoshi, or the King of Time, has been covering for me while I've been here."

"And he can't just continue?" Reborn grumbled, clearly understanding what it meant. Tsuna would have to return back to his dimension, leaving him behind. That was something he didn't want, very much so.

Reluctantly, the brunet shook his head, disagreeing. "He only did that because he owed me a favor. That and he's my best friend, blood brother if you think closer on the subject. Asking for more time after returning back to my original form would be pushing things. Tsunayoshi does have his own place to run after all." Tsunayoshi had not only guarded his area, but his sleeping form, keeping it safe from outsiders that would have taken advantage of his vulnerable state.

"He's fond of you." Reborn remarked. "I'm certain he'd be more than willing to continue for a little longer."

"He would." Tsuna leaned a little closer to his lover, his right hand twirling one of Reborn's sideburns, almost unconsciously. The hitman didn't mind, enjoying the gentle contact. "But it's time I head back and make my appearance, too long of an absence causes questions and in turn, frequent attacks on my area. Tsunayoshi could only do so much. Still, to be honest, there's nothing there I really care about, but... Well, it's my sworn duty."

Reborn wanted to continue arguing, but he knew when to draw the line and sometimes, a job was a job. He knew it far too well considering his profession. It still didn't make him happy. He huffed and rolled onto his back, staring up at the familiar ceiling. Out of the corner of his eyes, he watched as his lover stood up, revealing the curves and edges of his body hidden underneath the sheets. There was no evidence of their transgressions last night and this morning on his body, spotless and untarnished, while Reborn retained the scratches and bruises Tsuna had garnished on his form. It was a shame really. The hitman wanted nothing more than to decorate that pale body however he liked,turn it black and blue, leave long red scratches down his front and back, but Tsuna's regeneration abilities would be a difficult thing to combat. As Tsuna took a step forward, his clothes materialized, dressed within seconds, and appeared as he had last night in perfect order. He shuffled slightly to readjust the cape collar and the hems of his shirt before spinning towards his lover. The cape fluttered at the sudden movement, flapping listlessly through the air before resting at the back of his legs.

Tsuna stared for a few moments, almost unnerving Reborn at their intensity, before it was gone. He had closed his eyes, rotating slightly to the side. "I'd like to stay longer, but I can't. I'll be back as soon as I can."

So he'll be waiting, Reborn mused. There was a first time for everything. Grumbling, he was beginning to see why his ex's used to cling to him so hard before and after coming back from a long mission. Even though Tsuna hadn't left yet, he was already feeling the tug and demand to claim. "How long?"

This time, Tsuna shrugged. "I can't be certain. Like I said, it's been a long time." Not too long frankly, not even enough to really start raising questions. His kind and the demons tended to live eons and some never realized one had been missing until a thousand years later. It was common considering their lifespan (if not interrupted), but he would rather not take any chances. Plus, a message had been sent by his old companion, alerting him of an upcoming attack. It was always best to nip things in the bud. "I'll try to be back as soon as I can."

Which meant, he would be gone for more than a few days. Reborn could read in between the lines. He had done this to others before. He almost snorted, not liking the tables being turned against him. Still, he sat up in bed and, with one quick tug, yanked Tsuna back by his cape. Tsuna fell perfectly into Reborn's waiting lap and arms, keeping him upright and from banging his head against the wall. The once collected expression shifted into shock for a brief second before it was gone, their eyes meeting curiously.

"Reborn?" His name was spoken as a question, Tsuna remaining still as if waiting for the end results.

He didn't have to wait long as Reborn leaned over for a quick kiss, stealing his lips, before peppering some down his right cheek and neck. Tsuna twitched under those skillful fingers, not expecting the interaction, but gave in, not minding the physical contact. Eventually, the hitman pulled away, his lips tugging up into a cunning half-smile. "I'll be waiting for you, Tsuna."

The Sorcerer King blinked once, staring at his companion curiously, and for a split second, there was a flicker of emotion, one he wasn't familiar with, fluttering about. It disappeared soon after, almost like it had never existed. Despite everything, his expression had morphed back into its usual impassive mask, but his eyes narrowed amusingly, the only sign he was teasing. "You're turning sappy."

" _Sappy_?" Reborn was positively insulted and pushed Tsuna forward and off his lap. He could hear a small amused chuckle from the other and glared as his lover stabilized his position.

"Yes, sappy." The immortal gave a small nod, twisting away before Reborn could argue back. "I'll see you soon, Reborn. Don't get in trouble while I'm away."

Oh, now Reborn was definitely offended. Just as he opened his mouth to retaliate, he felt a surge of power.

Tsuna had disappeared.

The hitman gave a disappointed 'tch' as he collapsed back into bed, tugging the sheets closer to his body. He could smell the faint scent that belonged to his lover and huffed in annoyance. He hated waiting games for this very reason.

* * *

The Sorcerer King sighed silently as he sauntered down the various hallways of his castle, of his home. The surroundings were absolutely void of any sounds besides his own breaths and the clicking of his shoes. It was normal this way, to be utterly quiet. He had no servants, no patrons, no nothing here. Just him and him only. It was also one of the many reasons he usually left his domain and visited others, even wandering various realms and universes. It was how he ended up in his current situation in the first place. He paused for a moment to peer out a window to the desert landscape that surrounded half of his castle, giving him nothing more than a never-ending gaze of emptiness into the distance. The other half was forestation with patches of flat grass lands. Nothing lived out there, no life beyond the plants that grew only in the night, the sun nonexistent.

Today, however, the white desert was drenched in blood and decorated in various piles of bodies.

The very moment he had returned home, there had been an invasion on his turf. He had fully expected it, being one of the various reasons he had returned so suddenly in the first place. Someone had realized his disappearance, spread it across the various realms, and was bored enough to cause a war, taking advantage of his absence. Honestly, Tsuna had expected it to last longer than this, considering no one ever visited him that freely anymore, not unless they were to be punished. The last person had been over three hundred years ago.

Well, at least the invasion had given him a good excuse to exercise his suppressed powers. It felt...absolutely delightful to be able to go all out, use the abilities he hadn't been able to since being trapped in mere mortal flesh. Of course, he had gone a little overboard in the destruction, but well, it would just add to his apparent titles, not that he minded. His vicious names came in handy when it kept people from pondering too close to his personal business (rumors were horrible for those that lived forever since it tended to follow them everywhere). Of course, it also, in turn, kept people away from him, which led to his boredom and his constant wandering.

Rotating away from the sight beyond his windows, he directed his gaze towards his original destination: his throne room. It honestly wasn't much of one, but it was customary in directing people towards a common ground. Entering the room, his eyes snapped precisely towards the individual that seemed to have taken his spot on his throne chair (not that he cared). He almost wanted to roll his eyes at the mere sight of this person sprawled lazily across the entire surface, his long tail wiggling beside him earnestly.

The individual, noticing the so-called intruder, chuckled pleasantly. "Welcome back, Sinister."

"Hello, Tsunayoshi," The Sorcerer King spoke without a hint of emotion mixed in and stepped closer, knowing he had the demon's full attention. Those orange eyes gazed at him amusingly, unbothered by the amount of blood that dyed his once pure white clothes. "Or should I call you by your other name, Chronos? Or perhaps, Brother?" Not waiting for an answer, he continued, "I see you've taken a liking to my chair and home while I've been gone."

The incubus smirked, purposefully stretching out in the seat while revealing his midriff. "Well, it can't be helped, considering I've been watching over your place for so many years."

"You have my thanks for that, especially since it was so short notice."

Chronos snorted, waving his hand loosely. "It's alright. It wasn't as if I had any other plans in the future. By the way, I can keep watch for another hundred years at least if you need extra time." Keeping himself steadily propped on the chair, he rolled to one side. "But I'm glad to see that things turned out for the best."

Tsuna huffed, this time rolling his eyes as he stepped closer. It wasn't unusual for Chronos to act like this and he paid no mind to it. Still...

His honey-colored eyes peered straight at his companion and simply stared, examining the demon before him thoroughly. He hadn't had much of a chance to talk to the other recently with all that has been happening and having some time alone with him was much needed. However, considering the situation around his home, it would have to be pushed aside. "You planned this. Well, most of this." He forced Chronos to move to one corner,just enough for him to slip in and share the space. "You're the one that made Federico appear out of nowhere, kidnapping him from another world and using time magic to rapidly age him. You've caused quite a mess for me to clean up."

"Not really." Chronos chuckled, sitting up just so he could wrap his arms around the other individual. He had always been a tactile creature. It came with his nature. He purposefully planted his chin against Tsuna's right shoulder, greedily sliding up and personal. His hands ran over the covered chest, brushing his face against the bare neck, and sighed contentedly, enjoying the delightful scent of death and blood Tsuna bore. "I care for you, so it's natural to... _interfere_. That Federico was meant to die anyway so what's wrong with doing a simple switch? Replace the live version with the other's bones just before he perished." His long leathery tail wrapped along Tsuna's left arm and despite everything, the immortal remained unfazed. Instead, the younger brunet leaned further against the touch, used to the other's disrespect for boundaries. Chronos was an incubus, after all. The demon's wings flexed behind his back and he buried his face against the crook of Tsuna's neck, inhaling more of the enchanting aroma. "You always smell so good, especially when you're covered in blood with a hint of magic."

Tsuna rolled his eyes, unbothered.

"Besides, I'm certain you were getting bored. Though you have a new lover, it won't take long before _something else_ catches your attention." Chronos spoke as if it was a passing fancy. "It's normal for people like us. We've lived far too long, drowning in boredom that a quick fix is all we need every now and then... but it will only satisfy us for so long before it returns. Relationships don't last long for this very reason. The last marriage or relationship I saw lasted for a good three hundred thousand years and that was only because they only got to see each other briefly. For you, I'll give it about a hundred thousand before you guys began to tire of each other."

The Sorcerer King kept quiet, pondering through the words, before finally responding. "Perhaps it's true but I'll take advantage of it while it lasts. Currently, I find Reborn to be quite interesting and, no doubt, you will too. I'm curious about how much will be changed once he's been fully intergraded into our lives."

The King of Time hummed. "I take it you're going to need some help in the change process."

"I would appreciate it greatly if you were to supervise it. Perhaps add in a little of your own blood for a mixture? Half-half?" The Sorcerer King's lips twitched into a smile, knowing the tightening grasp around his body meant the other had readily agreed. "Now, I believe I have some work to do. It's time to play catch up on everything and I need to meet up with King Drake later today."

"You can do that after a small nap with me." Chronos pouted. "I want to hear about everything that happened while you were been gone, so you're not slipping away _that_ easily."

Tsuna sighed heavily, giving into the other's demand. "Fine."

* * *

Reborn didn't quite know what to say exactly about the scene before him. It had been a little over a week since Tsuna's disappearance and during that time, unexpected things began to occur. Vongola had pulled completely out of the town, silently declaring that Sawada Tsunayoshi was no longer their concern, while the Millefiore Famiglia swept in, taking everyone that was related or connected to Tsuna as well as the entire town of Namimori under their control. Though they were a relatively new group, no one wanted to face off with both the Sky Mare ring holder and the daughter of the ex-Sky Arcobaleno. Those that knew about the underworld didn't resisted the claim,not even Hibari Kyoya, and Byakuran had just grinned like a Chester cat, devouring those marshmallows whenever spoken to regarding his current plans while the normal residents of the town were left completely out of the loop.

A few days later, word had gotten around that Sawada Iemitsu had 'tragically' passed away. The details regarding the death had been under lockdown, but, from what Reborn managed to wring out of Lal Mirch, it was almost like he had been physically strangled to death, crushed on the inside. Reborn knew that type of peculiarity could only belong to Tsuna and Tsuna only.

The last and final bizarre thing was what he was currently facing: Tsuna's funeral.

Considering his old body had been accidentally abandoned in the middle of the street with the rest of the corpses from Vongola, only to be found by the police, it was hard to deny the claims. The police that had investigated simply stated: 'the wrong time, wrong place' on the death certificate considering the outlandish nature of the battlefield. Of course, when he had been questioned by said police, it had been difficult to keep a straight face regarding the truth of the matter (but he's a professional hitman).

Obviously, Nana had claimed he (Reborn) had stayed home all night (she hadn't realized he had left in the first place), pulling the suspicion away from him. However, it didn't help afterwards when Nana claimed that her son wasn't dead and she had seen him that very morning of his death and that the body they had found had to be a fake. The police didn't believe her, pushing it aside as they claimed Nana was in shock and denial of her son's early demise. They believed the memory of Tsuna was probably the lingering effects of his life unexpectedly taken.

It wasn't exactly easy to explain how the rest of the world reacted.

Reborn knew Tsuna's guardians wouldn't believe him if he told them the truth regarding the brunet's new form and true identity. They had mostly been kept in the dark and Reborn allowed them to believe Tsuna to be dead. The best he could do to explain the absolute truth was to wait until his lover returned, for them to see him alive in person. At least the week gave him plenty of time to sort out his feelings regarding the brunet. Everything had happened so quickly and he wisely spent his time pondering over his own emotions, wanting to know whether or not this was just a fling or a true thing. All the future knowledge Tsuna had given him pointed towards the latter and Reborn sincerely wanted to believe that, to believe that he had found someone he could claim as his own. However, there was still a small part of him, the hitman part that had suffered through the years of service, that reminded him of his battles, of his struggles, of his past, that stated otherwise.

To honestly put his complete and utter trust in someone made him horribly uncomfortable.

And the last time he had done so, he ended up getting cursed. Reborn shook his head to push those horrible thoughts aside. He needed to focus on this funeral.

Nana, knowing full well her son was alive and well, had obviously refused to have said funeral.

_"He just left. Don't worry though. He'll be back soon, okay!"_

No one believed her and in the end, the people of Namimori donated to give Tsuna's old body a proper burial. Well, actually, they were more afraid that the boy would rise up from the same to haunt them if he wasn't given one, superstition being pediment in Namimori. It didn't help that Nana repeatedly stated that she saw Tsuna alive recently in her house, pushing that belief. This all led up to present time, where Reborn was currently attending said funeral disgruntledly. He didn't want to be here, but if he didn't show up, it would put him in a bad light among the residents (not that he really cared) and the ex-guardians.

It was already well-known that Iemitsu had passed away, not that Nana had flickered an eye at the news, and from the whispering gossip around town, they believed it to be a curse. Tsuna's friends were startled to hear it, expecting the man to be involved (which he was) and was left empty on their vengeance, no target they could take on. Regardless, they had been disheartened to hear of Tsuna's apparent death, many currently crying at the funeral (all except for Mukuro and Hibari, who hovered on opposite sides of the room to keep themselves from attacking each other) as the proceedings began. Reborn huffed irritatingly, looking for a slither of a chance to slip out. However, with everyone seated, leaving would thrust him out amongst the crowd.

Still, he honestly didn't give a fuck.

He wanted out of here.

They didn't even have a good picture of Tsuna either, just some blurry shot that had been taken from either a camera phone or a security camera. It was pathetic. The people that attended the funeral were those that wanted to be certain that Tsuna was truly dead and gone, those that had been forced (classmates), and the very small handful that cared for him as a friend. It was an odd gathering, Reborn included.

As the priest in the front began to offer his words, the hitman made one final glance around the room. Everyone was concentrating on the prayer, heads bowed down, eyes closed shut. It was the perfect moment for him to vanish and no one would be any wiser, concentrating fully on the priest's words. Carefully, silently, he stood up and made his way up the walkway to the front door, never once making a sound. However, just as he reached it, the overhanging curtain that covered the entrance swung open.

And there, right before Reborn, stood the one person the hitman both hated and loved the most.

It was Tsuna in all his white and black glory.

Minus the cape, of course.

Just seeing the brunet standing there at the entrance, with the sun shining behind his back and reflecting off all that white, was enough to take Reborn's breath away. It looked like there was a halo surrounding him, but the hitman knew better. Tsuna is the devil, dangerous and , just seeing his love, returned to him as promised, made his lips twitch into a smile. Well, somewhat of a smile, considering who he is. The hitman quickly huffed as he morphed his attitude into defiance, raising his chin up, and flicked his fedora to one side. Leon was at home, the chameleon back to his original size before the Arcobaleno curse, considering Reborn no longer needed him to assist any longer.

No one seemed to notice the man's abrupt appearance, all focused towards the priest and that was fine. Reborn wanted Tsuna all for himself.

"Got bored?" The hitman chuckled, amusement laced in his tone as he spoke first. He kept the business behind him blocked with his body, purposefully leaning forward to examine the other. He could smell the faint scent of cologne he couldn't recognize, mixed with traces of sulfur, blood, and death **.** He didn't mind it though.

Tsuna simply shrugged, "Somewhat. Had nothing better to do after finishing everything up. Made my rounds, spoke to certain people, and then left. It honestly wasn't going to take long. Most weren't even around when I showed up." He folded his arms against his chest, leaning against one leg as he observed his lover. "I went by the house, but Nana said that everyone was here at this funeral home."

"Ah..." So the immortal probably didn't know just yet, and if he did, he hadn't mentioned anything regarding shook his head, unsure of how exactly to say this. "Well, apparently the police found your old body and didn't believe anyone when we said that you're still alive. It wasn't exactly something I could explain without looking crazy."

Realization flashed briefly through those orange-tinted eyes. "Ah, I see." Tsuna leaned to one side, now considering the scene behind. He raised an eyebrow, almost like he wanted to laugh, but didn't. "I was only gone for about a week and you've already started a funeral for me?"

Reborn snorted. It was hard to tell, considering Tsuna's expression never changed, but the brunet was obviously amused by the setting.

"Well, that would explain why people were staring at me when I walked by." Tsuna muttered under his breath, momentarily glancing behind him. "As well as some of the screaming."

"And you didn't think anything about it?"

The brunet just shrugged. "Considering my... _profession_ , people screaming and running away from me is the norm. I didn't think much on it."

Reborn just stared, not quite sure on how to respond. Eventually, he ended up with: "There's something seriously fucked up about you."

Tsuna shrugged his shoulders once more, staring pointedly at the hitman. "If we're about to talk about norms, we'll have to examine yours as well."

"Anyone ever tell you that you're a snarky asshole?"

"Besides you? No." With that said, Tsuna stepped around Reborn and into the funeral home, right down the middle. His eyes peered over the attending people curiously and before finally resting on his friends at the front row and back sides of the room. No one was paying any attention to him, still focused on the prayer made by the priest with their eyes sealed shut. He silently stepped right up to his old mortal body and stared down at it. The old bullet wound had been patched up by the funeral home, further covered by the bangs, and they had even placed makeup on the corpse to give it some color. If anything, the body looked like it was simply sleeping, like nothing had ever happened, but that was the purpose of these places. The corpse would then be cremated with its ashes stored in a vase to give back to the family, not that Nana would accept it.

Tsuna huffed at the thought. Well, he might as well do that last step himself, considering there was no point in this nonsense. Gathering some magic into the palm of his hand, he summoned a small compressed ball of fire that burned heavily with blistering heat. Despite the sudden light, no one noticed his presence and Reborn quietly observed in the background, curious about what his lover was going to attempt. His onyx eyes drifted over Tsuna's current form, especially the backside and the way the light glowed around his thin frame. Eventually, the brunet tossed the fire onto the corpse and watched as it quickly caught ablaze, the body sizzling at the force. It was only then that people looked up. They saw Tsuna standing there over his burning old corpse, the fire spreading to the coffin, and went silent for a moment as they commuted those details.

And then the screaming began.

Some ran right out of the building, chaos running rampant as people and chairs were knocked aside. Reborn stared in amusement, stepping around as people stormed by with his arms folded across his chest. The only ones that remained were those too shocked to do anything and the ex-guardians that were slowly standing from their seats.

A silence fell over them, aside from the crackling of flesh and wood. No one moved, not even to put out the fire **.** It was like no one cared, all frozen in place, even the priest. The scent of cooking flesh filled the room and black smoke hovered in the air. The fire was burning through everything, even bone, until there was nothing left but mere ashes. Amazingly, it didn't spread to the rest of the funeral area, dissipating once its purpose was completed.

Ultimately, Takeshi was the first to speak, gathering the confidence to move forward. "Tsuna?" His voice was shaky, disbelief lacing his tone. "Is that really...you?"

Tsuna snorted, standing still as he allowed everyone to slowly piece themselves back together, that he was actually right before them alive and well. "Obviously."

"But your body...and your current form..."

"I gave up my old form. Didn't need it anymore. And so, I've returned to my original." Tsuna motioned to his current body, the adult one that everyone had seen once or twice due to the ten year bazooka. "I'll give you some time to let that idea settle considering you're all still in shock by my...sudden appearance."

Reborn could feel the other wanting to roll his eyes at everything. Still, he couldn't blame the teenagers. It wasn't often that their supposed dead friend came back to life like that, older would definitely need some time to let the idea settle, especially after just beginning to deal with the idea of Tsuna being dead.

The immortal closed his eyes for a moment, letting out a quiet sigh. "Whenever you're ready, come to the house. I'll be waiting there." As Tsuna spun around, he vanished into the smoke and flames, leaving everyone behind to...gawk in wonder. Those that hadn't been listening to the conversation, or didn't know Tsuna himself, broke out into further screams, terror lacing their tones. More panic gathered and it seemed like someone finally had the decency to get a fire extinguisher. Not that it was useful anymore since the corpse was already gone, only ashes remaining.

Apparently, everyone in the building had just seen the supposedly-dead-person-most-of-the-town-hated come back to life and disappear before their very eyes.

This wasn't good for anyone's mental health.

Reborn wondered if this was going to be a common basis with Tsuna being at full functioning ability. If so, Namimori would probably be upping their drug prescriptions.

Oh well, not his problem. However, he wouldn't deny he was getting a kick from seeing everyone so gobsmacked.

* * *

Reborn, along with the rest of the ex-guardian gang, all arrived at the Sawada household at the same time towards the evening. The hitman didn't mind the additional followers and it wasn't like anyone could really stay behind after that fiasco back at the funeral home. By now, someone had most likely alerted the authorities regarding the fire and were currently combing the area for evidence.

As for the apparent group standing before the Sawada household, everyone (minus Reborn) was curious about Tsuna's supposedly sudden reappearance, even the classmates once they woke up from their stupor (who all wisely went back home, Reborn didn't need anyone except for those involved to stick around). The hitman had even kicked Dino and other mafia related individuals away as this wasn't a conversation he wanted slipping out to the rest of the underworld. He doubted they would actually know what to do in this situation besides gather in arms to either kill Tsuna or want to capture him for experimentation. Both, he didn't want to see, even though he knew very well that Tsuna could take care of himself just fine.

As everyone settled into the living room, many on the floor considering there weren't enough couches/chairs with Nana minding the younger children in the kitchen, all eyes rested on the patient immortal. They anxiously waited for Tsuna to speak up, to call their attention,and as they did, their gazes roamed curiously over him, checking out his somewhat new appearance. He looked exactly the same as his future form, nothing out of place, nothing all that...different.

Momentarily, Tsuna glanced up from his newfound book, eyeing each and every person before nodding. His attention eventually drifted over to Reborn, who was standing in the corner of the room **.** A brief non-verbal dialogue slipped between the two before the brunet went back to his book, flipping the page once to begin.

"As you may already know, since the rings have been handed back to Vongola, you are no longer guardians connected to me and as such, there's no longer any purpose for you to remain here." Tsuna spoke coolly amongst his ex-guardians, barely looking up from his book as his eyes drifted over the printed pages as if it was the most normal thing in the it was considered normal by the rest of the group, no one speaking up regarding his actions. Tsuna still hadn't mentioned the obvious physical change despite the evident curiosity in his friends' eyes and he had every intention of pushing that little detail for last. "This means you're allowed to settle back into your normal lives, like you had previously. You don't have to get involved with the mafia any longer unless you wish too." The brunet paused for a moment. "Well, for those that weren't originally involved with the mafia anyway. For those that are, you're welcome to stay in Namimori if you wish to have a somewhat normal life. You won't be bothered here."

There was a silence among the group, not even Ryohei speaking up, as they stared at the one they considered a good friend and ally. Finally, Takeshi was the first to scoot forward, eyebrows narrowed worriedly, and opened his mouth to speak. No words escaped just yet, all eyes waiting, watching, _listening_ , for his reaction.

Takeshi took a moment to take a deep breath, obviously thinking over his upcoming dialogue, before the words finally spilled out. "Tsuna, what if we _don't_ want to return to our normal lives?"

That single question finally broke Tsuna away from his book, pausing completely, with his eyes drifting upward from the printed material resting in his hands. He looked like he wanted to snort. "You have your own free will. You can do what you want."

"So does that mean I can still be your friend and follow you around?"

"I said you can do what you want. As long as you don't irritate me, I don't care." The words were blunt, purposefully so, as honey-colored eyes observed underneath those caramel bangs. "But I have a duty to my original home and I cannot take you there." Before anyone could ask why, the brunet continued. "Humans are considered food and the air is poisonous to breath. It doesn't help that the provisions we eat will cause devastation to those physically unable to process it."

"Oh..." There was a tinge of disappointment and confusion in Takeshi's tone, shoulders slumping slightly.

Tsuna knew he had just pushed aside his friend, but it was the truth. The teen would never survive the process of changing and was too kindhearted to do something as vile as he did on a regular basis. Even though, here on this planet with a human form, his impulses had decreased to a bearable level, back home, back in his original body, they had sprung right back into place. These weren't impulses he could just ignore. They made him _who_ he is today and the attacking army had been a decent distraction. It sadly wasn't enough, however, and he had been forced to scourge through the various realms for a dimension to torment and rein back his desires.

As he continued observing the black-haired teen, his eyes never leaving the frustrated frown, Tsuna grudgingly sighed. "That doesn't mean you _can't_ be around me when I'm here." He shouldn't be giving false hope, false optimism, but well... Tsuna nearly shook his head at the thought. He must be really getting soft in his years and the human influence hadn't helped one bit.

Still, it was enough to pull Takeshi back together, smiling brilliantly as if he had won the million yen reward. Giving an amused chuckle, he got up from his spot on the floor and flopped down onto the couch beside his best friend, wrapping his arm around Tsuna's shoulders. Reborn merely raised an eyebrow, noting the way his lover instantly became uncomfortable with the physical contact. Regardless, he had no intentions of lending a hand, observing from the sidelines.

Takeshi, as usual, just ignored it all. "Then I've decided to remain by your side as your best friend. Looks like you're stuck with me." His eyes flickered up towards the rest of the group and grinned mischievously."Hayato is joining too."

"Oi! Don't speak up for me!"

"But you want to, right?"

Hayato went quiet at the obvious truth, grumbling in the background about stupid baseball idiots and to stop reading his mind. A few others made their announcement that they weren't going anywhere either, rising up almost like they were competing with each other. Only the more sensible remained silent in the background.

Eventually, the hitman decided to make his appearance, having enough of this nonsense, and retracted from the wall. He sauntered gracefully over the various outstretched feet on the floor, his presence commandeering all attention. With a wicked smirk, Reborn reached over and aggressively detached Takeshi from his lover by shoving him aside. Everyone just watched (except for Tsuna, who barely glanced over) as the hitman took the ex-rain guardian's place, settling down next to Tsuna.

"You're all idiots." Reborn huffed amusingly. "It doesn't matter what any of you say, Tsuna currently belongs to _me_." This time, the immortal blinked, peering up curiously at the other, while Reborn, quite comfortable in his position, ignored the shocked expressions flooding the room. "And I won't appreciate it if anyone dares to steal him away from me."

"Wait..."

"Does that mean what I think it means..."

A few more muttered words passed throughout the group before someone finally stood up, taking control of the conversation.

"Kufufu, so the rumor is true...among other things." Mukuro appeared absolutely gleeful regarding something only _he_ knew about and stepped around everyone to get a better view of the two lovers. "Wasn't expecting the number one hitman in the world to actually fall in love. Brilliant topic of interest right there, I assure you. No doubt it'll be the talk of the lifetime once everyone finds out."

He spun around the room, briefly glancing at every little object that hung on the walls. The only noise came from the kitchen, able to pick up Nana and the kids' voices along with the clattering of dishes and utensils. Mukuro spent a few minutes basking in the semi-silence before taking a deep breath, refocusing on the odd couple once more. His multi-colored eyes stared heavily at them both, everyone else holding their breath, listening intently.

The teen wasn't done, not by a long shot. They (at least those that could read the mood) could all feel like the cheeriness he was showing was nothing more than mask. There was something else Mukuro wanted to bring up.

Something much darker.

The smirk vanished, taking everything cheery away, replaced by a frown. Mukuro then snorted, almost like he was upset about something. "So this at least complies with the information going around that Reborn is outright refusing to work with Vongola anymore, refusing to train the new Vongola Decimo, and ran off to return to his current student. How surprising that you would actually do such a thing."

The illusionist did a spin, eyes staring up at the ceiling momentarily, before huffing. It was obvious that the conversation was falling into something sinister, the air condensing. Tsuna sat there like an impassive statue, no flicker of emotions slipping through his eyes. It was like he was unbothered by the whole discussion...or perhaps, had come to expect it.

Mukuro sneered, shifting closer, well aware of all the stares he was receiving in return. "Honestly, it's complete and utter _foolishness_ to think we can have a _normal_ life. Vongola is a powerful organization that runs half the world. Only an idiot with a death wish would turn their back on them or think that we would be left alone."He paused for a moment, letting those words settle into everyone's minds. "They have already declared us as their enemies once. They can simply do it again. We're worth nothing to them."

" _But we can fight_!" Ryohei decided to add in, screaming at the top of his lungs with his fist pumping the air like he was getting ready for a complex battle. "We are EXTREME men!"

The illusionist huffed disbelievingly, his tone vile as he spat out his reply. "Against an army that wields dying will flames like they're weapons of mass destruction? Against an endless supply of bullets? Against men that have been in fights beyond our capabilities? If you want to be that _idiotic_ , you are more than welcome to go against them!"

Ryohei flinched at the frank harshness and yet, no one else spoke against Mukuro. In a way, it was the dark world was an almost impossible task. One would lose more than gain.

"And that's not throwing your own family into the equation!" Mukuro continued, eyeing each and every delusional teenager on the room. "Anyone that's connected to _you_ : your friends, your loved ones, your parents, even your damn classmates. _Anyone_ you know can become the perfect leverage against you. This is the mafia for fuck's sake! They kidnap people for a living and if they don't have any usage for their victims, they torture and kill them! They'll even send you their soiled bodies as proof for not cooperating!" The illusionist stormed towards the ex-sun guardian, reaching forward to yank the teen up so their faces were mere inches apart.

The two adults in the room just watched from the sidelines, not willing to step in to break up the fight. They all knew what Mukuro was preaching was true. This is the mafia. There was _nothing_ great or happy about it. It was generally filled with blood, despair, and death, and there was no such thing as a retirement age, just a bullet in one's forehead.

"Your lovely little sister will become the prime example of just how far they will go if you're going to fight against Vongola!" Mukuro shoved Ryohei aside, ignoring the hiss the white-haired teen made as he hit the ground. "The only one that has any hope of getting out of this alive is Reborn! And that's because no one messes with the strongest, ex-Arcobaleno or not."

With those bitter candid words, the ex-mist guardian nearly stormed out the room, only stopped when Chrome grabbed the bottom edge of his pants. Everyone else remained silent on the subject, letting Mukuro's words settle into the deep recesses of their related to the mafia world knew it to be reality, only the civilians finding it harder to swallow. This wasn't some game they had been originally playing, fighting off bad guys with Tsuna (despite his violence). This was real life, and here, there were stakes that cost more than just a few spent yen bills and a couple of bruises. These were people's lives, their loved ones as well, that they were handling now and anyone connected to them would get dragged into the center whether they liked it or not.

Takeshi glanced between each group member, his friends, his companions, each of whom was pale and shaky, and sighed. He wanted to stay with everyone. He still did, even after that lecture. But was it worth putting his father at risk? Was it worth dragging his family back into the mafia after his father had risked everything to get out? It wasn't an easy decision for him or anyone else to make.

Just like Takeshi, others were trapped in the exact same place, shuffling through their thoughts in wonder. Those not involved just yet in the underworld knew that if they stayed with Tsuna, they would no longer have the freedom they had before. They would be dragged in kicking and screaming. They would be caged and chained down for all eternity, pulling all those they love into the mix. They would never get a peaceful death, only one filled with blood, pain, and despair.

Was it worth the risk for a friendship?

Eventually, Tsuna sighed, catching everyone's attention and pulling them away from their thoughts. "This is why I wanted everyone to forget about me, why I wanted everyone to live their own lives without me." Before he allowed anyone to protest, he continued. "I plan on taking care of Vongola myself. The Millefiore Famiglia, as you already know, has taken control of this town with all the townspeople under their protection. You'll be safe here, where you can continue your lives without worry, or if you wish to continue working with the mafia, you can work with them instead. You're free to take either decision or another if you find a different path to walk down."

Gokudera, grateful for the topic change, decided to speak up the obvious question everyone wanted to ask, even Reborn. "And _how_ exactly do you plan to do that, Tsuna? Taking care of Vongola? It's not that simple."

Tsuna sighed, placing aside his book between Reborn and himself. He was no longer interested in reading the contents, not when they had finally hit the 'physical change' of his agenda. "I guess this would be a good time as any to explain _who_ exactly I am." He glanced at both Takeshi and Hayato, knowing he had been owing them both a couple of explanations. "I'll give you the basics since the story is...too long to actually explain in full detail."

Reborn could attest to that. Just getting the condensed version of what had occurred to Tsuna had been a nightmare to sort through.

"Now, listen carefully. Long ago, I was once a serial killer known as Sinister..."

"...I killed Iemitsu, but left my old body behind, which is why everyone decided to throw a funeral for me, not knowing the truth of my disappearance. And that's when I just returned from Hell."

And that concluded his story. Short and simple.

Reborn was already rolling his eyes near the end. That was a highly-condensed, extremely summarized, version of who Tsuna really is. The immortal had left out almost everything about what he had done to get turned, what he had done to get his titles, and everything in-between. He didn't even mention the other demons, not even Veil. It was just the gist of the details to give them what Tsuna was truly capable of.

Still, it was an explanation. If the teens had never asked, if the conversation hadn't turned towards this path, Tsuna would have remained forever silent to the day they died. The hitman could see his lover doing just that and he knew for a fact, he too would have done the very same.

Reborn glanced towards the group inquisitively and smirked at their expressions. They understood most of the heavy content and by the flickering flashes of stubbornness in their eyes, looked like they wanted to question everything they had just heard. After all, it was...strange in a way. But if one peered at themselves with flames and magical rings, it wasn't really all that outlandish.

Honestly, Reborn didn't want to hear any of the stupid questions they would think of and he doubted Tsuna was willing to answer everything. The brunet had become overly silent since arriving back from the funeral. It wasn't like when he had been joking softly with him, now all clamed up amongst people.

Reborn sighed, crossing his legs as he sat there, all elegant and stylish. "Let's call it a day. We can talk more about this tomorrow."

Various eyes peered straight at him, like the hitman was the one holding all the answers. He probably was the only one that could actually make sense of Tsuna's vagueness and mold it into something understandable. Did he have any plans of doing that for them? Nope. None. This was information he wanted to keep to himself. He's selfish, after all.

Mukuro, the stubborn one, opened his mouth to speak up against the information when Reborn fired a warning bullet. Automatically, everyone jumped at the sudden sound, not expecting the hitman to resort to violence so soon. Well... never mind, this is Reborn everyone was thinking about. They hadn't even seen the raven yanking out his gun underneath his jacket. It was just there and smoking at the very tip. As the teens peered at the hitman, they could see why he was known as number one. His very form demanded excellence and power, foreboding as a person to not be messed with, unless they desired his next bullet to be impaled between their eyes.

Reborn smirked, his voice deep and powerful, filled with confidence as he spoke. "You were about to say?"

Mukuro twitched, refusing to back down from the obvious threat, and glared. Regardless, he wisely kept silent. His bare fingers clenched painfully into the fabric of his pants, the color turning white at the force. No one else tried to speak up, deciding to follow Reborn's commands to talk more about this tomorrow. It would at least give them the time to sort through the information and make sense of it amongst each other.

Tsuna sighed and shook his head as he peered over everyone in the room. He already knew no one had made a complete decision, not that it was easy, which was fine. These were teenagers, barely young adults, stepping into a world they didn't need to belong to. He had no intention of really dragging them into his issues and they had no reason to actually stay. Friendship could only go so far in the darker worlds and it wasn't often for family to betray each other. Still, if they wanted to stay, then that was fine with him...even though it was physically impossible. Closing his eyes momentarily, Tsuna leaned back against the couch.

Despite that little fact, he would allow them to hang around as much as possible and give them the chances they deserved for putting up with him this long. The odd thing was that he hadn't expected their acceptance of this newfound situation, and yet just knowing they didn't want to willingly abandon him made him feel…happy.

His honey-colored eyes opened when he picked up the steps of his companions slowly filtering out the door, listening to the retreating arguing amongst the group. Tsuna glanced over towards Reborn, who was still at his side, noticing the slight smirk resting on those lips. Sighing, he shook his head before reopening his book.

He didn't need to look into the future to know that everyone was going to come back.

* * *

It took a while before everyone finally left the premises of the much as Reborn understood the reason as to why the ex-guardians wanted to cling to their apparent leader, he wanted them gone. He wanted to speak to Tsuna alone and that wasn't possible with all the eyes and ears in the same room, Nana included.

It was regarding some things that he didn't quite like about _this_ Tsuna. He knew they are one and the same, but there was obviously something different with his lover. Perhaps it was the fact that Tsuna was now in his original body or he was being looked at differently, but it felt like the man was...colder? It wasn't an easy description of the individual, but to Reborn, that's what it felt like. There was a constant buzz of power surrounding Tsuna, the air tense, and a hidden deranged glint in those orange-tinted eyes.

When they were alone in the bedroom, late into the night, the house silent, Reborn found that moment to speak up. "You alright?"

Tsuna blinked curiously, rotating away from where he had been staring outside the window. Without his cape, he looked impeccably dressed, just as Reborn remembered from the few times the accidental time switch had occurred. His eyes settled on Reborn momentarily before shaking his head. "I'm fine."

Reborn obviously didn't believe him, one eyebrow rising up suspiciously. "Oh?"

The brunet continued to stare, almost looking like a doll, a murderous, extremely dangerous, doll that held no hesitation in slaughtering millions of people. He didn't jump to the bait, returning his attention back to the window for a minute longer. Eventually, Tsuna pulled away to settle onto the bed beside Reborn, crossing his legs neatly. He looked like a pristine boss and in a way, he was.

A boss that commanded death and destruction.

"I know Hayato asked you before, but what _do_ you plan on doing regarding Vongola, Tsuna?" Sometimes, Reborn really had to remind himself occasionally that this person was no longer a teenager, now an adult, and he could act differently around him. It was hard though. The Tsuna now had an aura that was commanding and indifferent, incredibly hard to ignore. He definitely had that appearance of a regal King, and yet not at the same time. It made it difficult to place a definite identification on his lover.

When Tsuna didn't answer, scrolling through his phone, the hitman glanced over his lover's shoulder to try and read the words. He almost cursed. They were in a completely different language, one he didn't recognize at all despite being fluent in at least twelve and identifying fifty plus others. The lettering was bizarre, nothing he had ever seen.

Giving up, Reborn spoke again. "You know they won't stop coming after you if they find out you're still alive."

This finally rewarded a response as Tsuna paused mid-scroll, rotating to his lover. "I'm aware." His caramel-colored eyes peered back at his phone, this time for the clock. "I guess I could leave now."

Reborn blinked, confused. "Leave? Leave where?"

" _To Italy, of course_."

The hitman stared. Oh, he had a bad feeling about this. He knew what Tsuna could do in his human form (kinda), but there was no telling what the brunet could do with all of his abilities returned to him. As far as Reborn knew, his lover could literally do anything he desired, accomplish his ideals with a single swipe of his hand.

And when Reborn suddenly found himself on the streets of Venice, standing right in front of the Vongola's main base in the middle of daylight, where Vongola Nono and the new Decimo lived, with Tsuna beside him, he sighed reluctantly.

Oh, yeah, bad feeling.

Fucking magic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone ever saw my tumblr post (which was like a month ago but don't worry, it's not necessary to go there), this series ends at chapter 50. There are 2 epilogues, 1 official end chapter, and 1 interlude (which is connected to chapter 41). So next chapter is either the interlude or Tsuna vs. Vongola, whichever I finish up first.


	46. Chapter 46

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, very short. Interlude is next. I have chapter 49 and 50 (the epilogues) already completed. Just struggling with 48, the End chapter.
> 
> Beta'd by Pure Red Crane

"The next person is odd at times, but it goes with her personality and abilities. She's a witch, even though she dresses like a priestess of sorts."

"Oh? What's her name?"

"Velaquinn. She specializes in diseases. She abandoned Hecate's group long ago, unable to see eye to eye with any of them because of her abilities and eventually caught my attention in her wandering. She just...settled in, quite easily too. Hecate didn't mind. She found me more fitting in caring for her individually. There was just too many different personalities for Hecate to command and Velaquinn was too strong-willed to just obey others besides those she liked, which lead to in-fighting."

"That's interesting."

"She acts like those woman from horror movies, shifting through darkness, creeping about, and generally enjoys scaring her victims to death. Using the gifts I gave her through our bond, she alters reality to continue creating those horror-like settings."

"That's not... _Why_?"

"She enjoys hearing people scream in terror and she uses all the diseases she stores in her body to send out epidemics of destruction. She's been called the Goddess of Plague, of Rot. One of her most famous ones, that I helped create, caused a person to decompose on the inside."

"Again, _why_?"

"Because that's what she does for a living, her purpose."

"I question you and your...companions sometimes. Most of the time."

"Regardless of your questions, in the end, she represented pestilence of the universe."

"Pestilence? I'm starting to sense a pattern here..."

* * *

Reborn should have known that things wouldn't exactly be easy for him when he was in a relationship with a man that had the powers of a God, a being that could literally do anything he wanted. And well, Tsuna had decided to walk straight towards the Vongola base without a second thought, declaring war with only himself and Reborn.

Now, the hitman knew his chances of survival if Tsuna was some regular being, but well...this one was up in the air.

Doesn't mean he was going to pull out his weapon and fire. Reborn is absolutely certain that Tsuna can take care of them both on his own without batting an eyelash.

Still, as the hitman watched the brunet saunter unhurriedly towards the front gate of the mansion, Reborn sighed. It was bright, daytime in Venice, with the sunlight shining over the surrounding world. Tsuna looked majestic in the luminance, the light reflecting off his pale skin and white clothes. He almost glowed, the wind plucking his cape to twirl it in circles behind, letting that little crimson color peek through.

Reborn snapped his attention away from his lover before he got distracted by other ideas. Instead, he focused on the Vongola Headquarters they were just moments away from storming into. Along the gate, there were various cars parked, all black, with overhead lights and cameras recording the area. Tsuna waved his hand and took care of the devices immediately, including those that had been hidden in the forestation. At very entrance of the building, there were guards stationed, heavily armed and ready to fight any trespassers that dared to make their way inside. No doubt someone would eventually spot them and set off the alarm, if they hadn't already with the cameras down. They stood out obviously amongst everything, especially Tsuna with his white. It wouldn't take long.

The immortal took a momentary glance around the area before raising his right hand before him. He concentrated a small tug of magic to begin his official attack. The surrounding vehicles burst into flames, explosions rocketing off the gasoline oil within, and some even had weapons inside, settling them off. People came running down to investigate and to perhaps to put out the fire, only to be caught up in the explosion. Tsuna used the scorching unrestrained fire surrounding them, controlling it with his mind, and setting it on the people, listening to them scream and drop.

The Sorcerer King added a little extra heat to the blaze, scrutinizing in amusement as people were literally burned alive in seconds, to the point where all was left was their charred black remains. A few more intelligible individuals tried putting out said fire with rain flames, creating a storm to offset the heat. However, it was useless and Tsuna set the fire in their direction, taking care of the competition. Reborn watched with bewilderment in the background, unable to do anything but simply stare.

As Tsuna went up the stairs to the main entrance of Vongola headquarters, the door had been bolted shut, fortified by various metals that were resistant against Dying Will Flames. A regular fire-based explosion wouldn't be enough to bust it open and bullets would be unable to pierce through the casing. It was a show of power and resolution of the Vongola famiglia.

Of course, with Tsuna's vast unknown abilities, a door wasn't going to stop him anytime soon. Tsuna just shoved it aside, the metal concaving at the force before dissolving into dust, much to the utter surprise and horror of the occupants within. Bullets rained out within seconds in retaliation, but Tsuna just raised a protective shield, blocking the metal from getting too close. Reborn continued to observe, memorized by the site before him, of his lover taking down one of the most powerful famiglias in the world with breathable ease. Eventually, Tsuna switched from reflecting the bullets to holding them against his shield, collecting a black mass along the edges. The men, stunned by what they were witnessing, stopped firing, staring in shock as their bullets hovered in the air a few feet away from the intruders.

Tsuna smirked and waved his hand towards the men. The bullets chased, speeding rapidly off, returning fire as if they had just been shot. Screams and grunts followed as the bullets tore into everything within range. Of the average fifty men in the main entrance room, only less than ten were left alive and of that number, they were all critically injured. From the way they were bleeding out, Reborn doubted they would survive to tell the tale of what had occurred here today.

Tsuna hummed, having no intention of leaving anyone breathing, and proceeded to dissolve all the bodies in the room.

And then, there was just silence.

Reborn stared at the now empty hallway, nothing of anyone's existence left behind. They were just gone. Only the bullet casings and holes remained behind, telling anyone that stormed into the room that there had been a very one-sided battle. Tsuna was already marching down the carpeted area, heading straight to the location he had in mind. Reborn, meanwhile, knew the mansion like the back of his hand and noted that Tsuna had every intention of meeting Vongola Nono, Timoteo. The office of the Vongola boss was close to the very back, its windows overlooking the garden in the backyard. It was a beautiful sight to see, either in the sunlight that radiated off just watered flowers or in the dark with the moonlight reflecting the color of the petals.

A couple groups of men tried to stop them, but they all met the exact same fate as the first. This time, they didn't even get a chance to fire their guns or use their flames. They just perished to Tsuna's magic. Nothing stood in his way, walls, doors, it was all pointless.

Reborn could only watch from the sidelines, but it was...striking in a way. Tsuna, fighting so viciously and with little regard to life, was _beautiful_. No ounce of emotion flickered through those brown eyes, killing people off with a single twitch of his fingers. The hitman snorted, this wasn't the best time to be turned on by the amount of power Tsuna held.

Eventually, they came up to a familiar set of doors, one that alerted the two they had reached their destination. There was another group of men waiting for them, but it was pointless and they too perished, the door crumbling away in the process.

There was nothing anyone could do against someone of Tsuna's nature and power level.

"Tsuna," Nono carefully stood up from his seat at the desk as the door dissolved before his eyes, eyes flickering back and forth from his surrounding guardians that had gathered as a last line of defense. His son and future Decimo, Frederico, was standing beside him (no guardians recruited just yet). There was no doubt they were nervous about the intruder considering the outrageous reports they have been receiving from their men and the vast death tolls. There was hardly anyone left, not with the way people were dying left and right and then just... _vanishing_. Right now, Nono was focusing on the brunet before him. He looked exactly like Tsuna, the teenager that had died recently. However, there was no doubt this one appeared _older_. Almost like an elder brother of sorts, but Nono knew that the deceased Iemitsu only had one son. "You _are_ Tsuna, correct?"

The immortal stepped further into the room, almost like he owned the place, no speck of dirt or grime on his pristine white clothes. Reborn trailed behind, never needing to lift his hands out of his pockets to help, his lover literally handling everything. Nothing had been able to get by Tsuna's protective barriers, nothing.

"I don't believe we've actually spoken face to face before." Tsuna admitted, never replying to Nono's question. "You've always avoided me, even after dealing with the Varia."

Nono nodded to that. It was true. There was no point in denying it. "I was busy. I have an organization to run, after all."

"Right..." The brunet obviously didn't believe that. His face was perfectly blank, stopping just an inch before the desk. Orange-tinted eyes glanced over everything in the room, examining the decor. He was the shortest in the room, but that didn't make him any less dangerous. "Well, I've come to say my hello. I wasn't quite happy that someone sent Iemitsu to kill me and those connected to me off."

Nono didn't twitch, keeping neutral before the threat. "Yes, well, I'm afraid that Iemitsu has tragically passed away just recently."

"I'm aware." Tsuna replied without skipping a beat. "I was the one that killed him, after all." He smirked, the first show of emotion on the brunet's features since arriving into this room. "I gave him a nice slow death in retaliation."

The Vongola boss refused to flinch, a flash of memory regarding Iemitsu's condition on his very last day still fresh in mind. It had been both horrifying and demeaning to watch as his friend and comrade slowly got crushed by some unknown outside force. The amount of blood, the compacted bones, the twisted muscles, it had been gruesome. Though, Nono hadn't revealed anything, the rest of his guardians weren't as controlled. A few flinched in response, giving away their thoughts.

Nono took a deep breath, trying to calm his chaotic mind. He stared up the teen, no, man that had just admitted to killing his second-in-command. "Who are you, Tsuna?" The Vongola boss took his seat, leaning back against his chair, his eyes never leaving the other. "You can't possibly be human, can you?"

Tsuna hummed once more, unbothered. "Isn't it obvious? I can't be, not with my type of abilities."

Frederico decided to cut in, taking this moment to break his silence. "So, Iemitsu was right? That you're not his son? That you killed him and took his place?"

"His original son died a long time ago to cancer, which Iemitsu would know if he actually came back to Namimori regularly or cared about his family and not famiglia. His son's last wish was… Well, I don't need to tell you that." The brunet leaned over the desk, glancing at the documents. There wasn't anything of interest, but Tsuna was just making the men before him squeamish. "But, just because we're not connected by blood, doesn't make it any different. It's like adopting, you know? Even if I'm a lot older than everyone here."

No one spoke up to that, not as Tsuna was continuously moving about in the room. There wasn't much to say, honestly.

Nono decidedly spun his attention to the more human of the two. "Reborn."

The hitman sighed, reaching up to flick his fedora. "Nono, don't." His dark eyes stared at his once-boss and friend. "I've decided to remain by Tsuna's side. He's _my_ boss now."

"I see." Carefully, the Vongola boss inclined forward, carefully settling in his overly cushioned chair to keep his posture perfectly straight, legs hidden underneath the desk. "Perhaps we can come to a compromise of sorts, Tsuna. I don't want my organization fighting against you and you-"

"If you're trying to threaten me, don't." Tsuna cut in. "The Millefiore famiglia has taken anyone related to me and Namimori under their protection. You'll be causing a massive war if you are to try anything. Not sure if that's what you need at this time, but it's up to you. After all, the Millefiore has the Mare Rings and the daughter of the ex-Sky Arcobaleno. It'd be unwise for you to fight both at the same time, dragging others into the equation."

Nono's lips thinned, frustrated. The chances of winning anything were looking gravely thin.

"And right now, Varia hasn't been obeying your commands or wishes, still displeased at being used as live bait and a sacrifice. You've lost a good portion of your main fighting force at this time." Tsuna remarked, knowing he was already backing Nono into a corner. "But if you want a war, if you wish to continue this fight, I hold no hesitation on wiping out everything you know. You've only seen a speck of my abilities just now and what has become of your men with that said speck. If you'd like, I can turn it to a much wider scale. It wouldn't be the first time nor the last I've obliterated something from history."

Nono knew he was being forced into bad situation. It was so obvious. And yet, there was no way out of this position. If he fought, no, there was no point. Tsuna...was powerful, extremely so. These weren't abilities a normal average person wielded, even when in combination of sky flames, which were the strongest of them all. This went beyond everything. There was also initiating a war with Millefiore, a new group that was quickly gaining ground on the world. There were just too many things stacked up against him and Tsuna knew it.

The immortal is cunning, extremely so.

As Nono stared at the brunet he had condemned, he regretted making his son, Frederico, becoming the next head of Vongola. Tsuna... Tsuna would have turned the tables on everything and everyone if he had been the next boss. Nono could see it in the back of his mind. Vongola would have risen to the top once more, becoming the most powerful organization the world had ever seen, but now it was all gone, stolen away by mere foolishness.

Damn...

And if Tsuna couldn't be head of the group because of Frederico, they could have at least built a good working relationship, add him among the crew of contacts that were allied to them. Loosing Tsuna was devastating. It wasn't just the immortal that had been turned away, it was also those that were connected to him: his ex-guardians, Reborn, those that were associated with them by blood or friendship. They would forever be cautious of their organization till the end of their days, joining something else instead if they needed to get away.

It was a damn fucking mess. Anyone with half a brain could see it.

"Well, I'm done talking to all of you for the day." Tsuna spoke up, breaking the silence as he ran a hand through his hair, pushing aside a few brown locks that had fallen into his eyes. Everyone was still watching him cautiously, unsure if he had any other intentions. Eventually, Tsuna spun around to face his lover. "Reborn, let's go home." He took a few steps towards the door, where the hitman was located, letting his cape flutter behind him as he turned. "Let's hope to never seeing each other again, Vongola Nono."

Before anyone else could say anything, Tsuna grabbed Reborn by the arm and vanished from the manor. They were just gone, just like that, nothing left behind of the two. The men in the office held their breath just in case something happened, but it remained silent, utterly silent except for the minor noises in the background.

And then, there was chaos, absolute and utter chaos.

That day, Vongola learned unconditional defeat.


	47. Interlude 3 part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by Pure Red Crane

"I have another question, Sin. It's kind of unrelated to everything else."

"Sure, what is it?"

"So when a Tsuna or any Tsuna out there dies, do they all go to the same underworld? To the same Hell? Or Heaven? Well, if either of those exist, that is."

"Of course not. There would be too many duplicates of one singular person running around in one place. Can you imagine twenty Mukuro's crackling together?"

"Oh, god no. That's a visual nightmare right there."

"So, to make things simple, each world has its own Heaven and Hell, an afterlife of sorts for those that have died. They stay there for a while before they are reincarnated, put through a cycle so to say. The Hell myself and the rest of the Kings and Queens dwell in, along with all the most powerful beings, is on a separate plane of existence. However, we're connected to each world out there and, in turn, the dimension. We can come to you, but you cannot come to us unless we will it. Though, there have been rare cases where live humans and lower-level demons have accidentally slipped through, but most don't live to tell the tale. The air in our realm is toxic to anyone under a certain power level."

"Kinda like a fail-safe, right?"

"Correct. Our existence isn't meant to be known but to a few and those we trust. If a world or dimension were to learn too much information they aren't supposed to obtain, then that world or dimension is destroyed. It's a horrible way of going about things, but trying to determine every single individual that knows about us is quite pointless. They could always leave evidence behind or spread it about on the internet. It's just easier to wipe everything clean and start that world/dimension anew."

"There's so much I want to say against that... But, I think the main thing that's sticking out for me is: you can restart a world anew?"

"Yes, it's quite simple really. If I can destroy a realm, don't you think I can recreate it?"

"I hate magic so much..."

* * *

More years passed and slowly, Sin began to stretch his range of targets outward from just Japan. He hit other countries, trying to keep the police on their toes and his amusement constant. However, people began to ignore the murders, too used to their occurrence and now that it was happening elsewhere, they no longer flinched or whispered about them. It was just another thing in the length of new that occurred. In the end, the police buried the killings and the media hype about a serial killer faded away with time.

Sin had expected this to eventually happen. Humans always did this when they wanted to continue living a normal life and not be paranoid about the chances of being killed in their day-to-day lives.

The hits against Tsuna slowly dissipated as various mafia bosses finally learned they couldn't do anything, finding it a waste of money and resources, and in due course, forgot about the child. Things steadily went back to normal.

Amazingly, Sin didn't meet up with Tsuna again until the boy was thirteen. It had been an accident really, bumping into the child on the one day he decided to head out for an evening stroll. There was a parade moving through a busy shopping center in Namimori and the immortal could honestly admit he hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings, just what was beside him. He observed the eccentric parade filled with beloved anime characters maneuvering through the full streets, using his magic to slip through the crowds like a ghost. He remained unseen even with his pure white clothes and cape. With his mind elsewhere, he had barely felt the tiny body slamming into his own until afterwards.

Sin blinked curiously, staring down at the fallen teen, before gazing upward to follow the path the boy had apparently shuffled from (because there was only a few reasons as to why Tsuna would be running). Within seconds, Sin identified the individuals that were chasing Tsuna as his bullies and, from how ragged his breathing was and his panicked sweaty expression, the teen had been running from them for a while. A quick flick of his hand had an electric sign that had been hanging against the building of a restaurant unhinged itself and collapsed just inches before the said harassers.

It left the effect Sin desired. Immediately, the bullies froze, flinching at the loud screeching sound. They stared at the broken sign, taking in their surroundings curiously, as if waiting for something else to occur. It was in that minuscule pause that Sin outstretched his hand towards the fallen brunet on the ground.

"Here," The immortal's voice, gentle as it could be, snapped Tsuna to attention. The teen had been watching his bullies apprehensively from behind. "I suggest you get moving before they recover their wits."

At those words, Tsuna quickly reached up to grasp the offered hand and, with a tug from Sin, had the teen standing in seconds. The force left him astounded, clearly not expecting the abrupt strength, but quickly shook it off. He had more important matters to deal with. Barely paying the other's strange appearance any mind, despite how outlandish it was (but since there was a parade filled with beloved anime characters, it wasn't surprising), Tsuna offered a grateful 'thanks' in return.

Out of the corner of his eyes, despite being somewhat blocked by his own hood, Sin watched as the teen dashed into an alleyway, probably hoping to escape. The bullies obviously weren't paying attention at that point, still staring at the broken sign as if pondering whether to continue with their original plan or not. The immortal huffed and flicked his finger again. The sign, despite no longer being connected to its power source, sparked brilliantly. The bullies yelped, jumping fearfully along with anyone else that had been too close, before instantaneously hightailing it.

With that done, Sin spun around with a sigh, sauntering into the corner Tsuna had ducked into. It hadn't been a smart move, encasing himself in an walled corner like that and leaving himself trapped for a beating. At least he could admit the boy picked a decently good hiding spot, despite the location. It wasn't noticeable right off the bat and could possibly be enough to fool the bullies into leaving.

"You can come out now. They've left." His voice echoed over the sounds of the parade, barely drowning it out. A few seconds passed before Tsuna peeked out from underneath a set of trash bins he had hiding strategically beneath. "Though, next time you run into an alleyway like this, try not to get yourself cornered. You're unintentionally blocking off your escape routes."

Tsuna glanced sheepishly at the immortal. "O-Oh, t-thanks..." A small tint of red decorated his cheeks, revealing his embarrassment. He nervously scratched the side of his face, honey-colored eyes flickering back and forth. "U-Um..."

Sin almost wanted to roll his eyes at the sight before him. It wouldn't be much longer before Reborn came crashing into Tsuna's life, twisting this innocent child towards a dark unforgiveable path. "You should head home before you get caught again."

At his voice, Tsuna snapped into action. "R-Right!"

As he stepped closer, it was then that the teen noticed the oddness of the man's clothes. Tilting his head, he blinked. Had he...seen this man before? The clothes appeared similar... "Um... E-Excuse me, sir."

Sin blinked under the hood, keeping still like a statue.

"Have I? I mean, have we...m-met before?" A silence settled between the two males, Tsuna slipping into a twitch at the lack of response.

Before long, the younger brunet screeched. "I-I'm sorry! Please forget what I said!" Rushing off, he ducked beside the other and disappeared promptly into the crowd.

Sin didn't bother following, letting the poor teen head home. Had Tsuna remembered vague flickers of his short appearances? It was possible.

'No matter.' Spinning around, the immortal wandered back into the crowd, letting himself drift along the residents of this town once more. Afterwards, he found his next victim and stuffed him into one of the floats to be found later in the night, unless someone tragically released the body by mistake into the public.

* * *

The next time they met was five years later, more than enough time to allow Reborn's training to kick in. Tsuna had already completed his fate: defeating Byakuran and setting the world and its connecting dimensions back onto its original course. Sin had definitely felt the shift once fulfilled and was tempted to abscond this planet soon after to head back to his own, but, in the end, reluctantly decided to continue hanging around. It wasn't as if he had anything to do back home. He had the time and he was so achingly bored. The King of Time was currently in another world, messing around with the locals, and as much as Sin wanted to join in, there had been no invite (though that wouldn't have really stopped him, considering how the other summoned himself all the time).

Sighing heavily, Sin wandered the dark alleyways of Venice, Italy. He had obviously followed Tsuna and their little group here, the soon-to-be Vongola boss now nineteen in age. Sin still slaughtered now and then, but the design had gotten...boring. Too repetitive. Too monotonous. Now, he started pondering into various constructs to keep himself entertained, and since he was invisible to the eye, Sin made use of his vast abilities by messing with mafia politics by corrupting alliances, dislodging potential deals, and even collapsing an entire empire for sheer entertainment. He would whisper horrid ideas into peoples' minds, puppeting them to his commands, to do his vile bidding.

Other times, when not creating chaos and destruction, Sin went about bearing a normal life (if he was a regular human), changing his physical appearance to blend right in. Money wasn't an issue, so sometimes, he would randomly open a bakery, which ended up being quite popular due to his skills in the cooking industry, before selling it off to move onto something else. Next, he would open a restaurant, then a cafe, and then, well, whatever he felt like. It was something he enjoyed.

These little things helped pass the time when he had nothing else to do.

A sudden gunshot echoed in the darkness, snapping Sin's attention from his inner thoughts and blinked momentarily. It wasn't an uncommon sound in the darker parts of Venice, filled with shady individuals and evil intentions. Still, he was inquisitive, always has been, and mentally searched out the area before teleporting directly into the scene. He hovered towards the edge in order to not accidentally bump into anyone, but upon viewing the said scene, he paused.

"Oh?" There, at the opposite side, cornered by six trained assassins was Sawada Tsunayoshi. His honey-colored eyes examined over the still teenager, taking in the battered clothes, scattered sprays of blood decorating his body, and ragged breathing. It was obvious the other had been fighting for hours. Sin hummed gently, glancing around curiously at the surroundings. No guardians, no Reborn, no men belonging to Vongola for back-up/cover. Sin peered back, his form hidden in the darkness, not that it mattered considering he was invisible to the eye.

So, either Tsuna had gotten separated from his men or he had been ambushed...or he had done something stupidly foolish by wondering into enemy territory. Either way, it gave Sin something amusing to do for the time being. Never one to willingly hold back against enemies that had no use to him, he struck.

With a sharp flick of his hand, two of the six men abruptly exploded into pieces, scattering their insides along the floor, walls, and the people that were unfortunately close by. Chaos erupted seconds after as the four remaining men stared in utter shock at the remaining pieces of their obliterated colleagues, attempting to process what had occurred. Of the four, three of them were staring down at their flesh covers selves, screaming and demanding for what had occurred.

Tsuna, however, didn't hesitate in taking advantage of the shock, shooting off into an empty alleyway to escape his entrapment. He noticed the men snapping out of their astonishment and anger just as he slipped by, shouting at each other to react.

However, they didn't get far before Sin struck once more, his fingers viciously tearing into the abdomen of the closest men to his location, ripping out the organs and spine with one powerful tug. The various body parts splattered across the floors and the corpse before him flopped lifelessly as dead weight near his feet. A disgusting splat echoed in the silence and everyone froze, even Tsuna, who couldn't help but pale at the horrid site.

This desolation wasn't the usual the soon-to-be Vongola boss was normally faced with. The younger brunet could deal with bullet wounds, cuts, and scrapes. Not something that belonged to a gore-porn movie. Tsuna's eyes carefully trailed upward, spotting the white-caped man that had done the deed, standing cunningly beside the corpse while covered in blood and guts. He couldn't make out the man's appearance underneath the hood, except that the man's eyes glowed orange. Swallowing at the sudden chill of fear, an ice cold shiver running down his spine, with his hyper intuition ringing horrific alarms, Tsuna took a step back. He had to get away. He _needed_ to leave before he became the next victim. Tsuna was already calculating his escape chances and he scrambled away, ignored by the other assassins.

One foolishly tried to attack, letting out a pointless verbal war cry. Tsuna raised an eyebrow in question as he studied the assassin's movement. Why was he running to the opposite area where Sin was located? It made no sense. Unless, there was an illusion...

Regardless, the assassin was swatted aside like a worthless toy, his body torn in half in response as if some blade had sliced through him like butter. The rest wisely fled, scattering into opposite directions in the hopes of diverting attention to themselves. Alas, all those alleyways lead to dead ends and their demise.

Tsuna, having a head start, used his intuition to lead him towards the correct pathway while the last two assassins trailed uneasily behind him. They were slow and within seconds, Sin reappeared, easily slaughtering them before they could even realize what was happening.

Momentarily glancing back, even when knowing it was foolishness, Tsuna needed to see, to observe this stranger, and yet, there was a tiny voice in the back of his mind that told him it was futile, that getting away was impossible. However, _another_ told him that everything would be alright, that the killer behind him wasn't his enemy. That single voice was enough to make him pause, his eyes observing the murderer curiously, and slowly his steps paced to a stop. Sin was simply standing there in the darkness, watching, waiting, keeping his distance from Decimo.

Staring in wonder, amazed that his intuition was correct (as always), Tsuna knew _he_ , himself, wasn't endangered. The killer was simply... _there_.

" _Tsuna_!"

The brunet snapped his head to the right. He recognized that voice, he knew it by heart. Yamamoto Takeshi: his rain guardian and best friend. In his panic, Tsuna hadn't realized where exactly he had stopped. He was outside the alleyway, standing right in the middle of the road. As soon as he had turned, he twisted straight back down the dark path, cursing himself for the distraction.

It was empty.

All that remained behind as proof was the torn corpses, evidence of what had occurred. Tsuna blinked once, tempted to follow back to the darkness, to investigate. He was curious. It wasn't often his intuition would alert him such double standards. He wanted to know...

And, there was something vaguely familiar about that man...

Like he had seen him before...

That single thought vanished momentarily, shoved aside, when Takeshi spun him around to spew concerned questions regarding his physical condition. It only lasted moments, Tsuna giving satisfying answers to get his rain guardian to back off, before he was tugged back into his darker thoughts. For the Vongola boss, nothing about this incident made sense, much as his life, and all he received in his investigation was dead ends.

Still, Tsuna swore he had seen that man before. He _knew_ he had, he just...couldn't remember when and where.

Takeshi stared at his boss curiously when he didn't respond nor did he make a remark when the rain guardian found out the connection between the fresh corpses and Sin's killing style. It wasn't hard either, considering a vast amount of details left everywhere on the internet. For the next couple months, Tsuna's guardians hovered in case he had been a targeted victim from the vicious serial killer.

However, Sin never appeared.

Until a year later.

* * *

It had been an accident really, finding Tsuna again that is. Sin had been wandering the nearby city of Venice, investigating a Mafia famiglia that had caught his attention with human trafficking. At first, it had been minimal, but as he wandered closer and began to compile evidence, he found what he needed to act. It was when he was drifting through the compound that he picked up a familiar presence, one he recognized miles away. Sin hummed softly, curiosity getting the better of him.

Sawada Tsunayoshi... Why was he here? Perhaps Tsuna had been following the same lead as him? It was possible since the younger brunet had been cracking down on problems like these recently. Still, Sin was slightly unnerved when he couldn't sense the rest of the Vongola boss's guardians within range. Did that mean Tsuna was here without protection?

Or had he been kidnapped?

Slipping by the guards unnoticed, Sin phrased through the walls, ghosting the hallways until he got into the underground ring where the group had obviously been keeping their prisoners. He could hear the crying, the begging, the blunt despair echoing in the encased holding area. It ricocheted in this dark bitter space and Sin couldn't help but smile. This type of place, it was where he belonged. Living in the light and doing good things weren't his principle. He lived on despair, on destruction, on _death_. To deny it would be to deny himself, his true nature.

Shaking his head to push those thoughts aside, Sin floated forward until he reached the room he felt Tsuna residing in. He could hear voices, multiple, two of which belonged to the mafia famiglia he had been investigating and the third to Tsuna himself.

Peeking inside, Sin took one glance of the setting and sighed. Of course, Tsuna would get himself captured. As his eyes examined the younger brunet, ignoring the accusing conversation between the two groups, Sin concluded by the cleanliness of Tsuna's clothes, he had probably been captured very recently, the interrogation running for about an hour in. Despite the disadvantage of being held suspended on flame-resistant metal cuffs, Tsuna was utterly calm.

Having enough, Sin stepped closer towards the light, letting his footsteps purposefully click against the cement. No one heard the sounds _except_ for Tsuna himself.

The younger brunet's eyebrows narrowed in confusion, unsure of the new noise considering the heavy metal door hadn't opened once. Slowly, carefully, considering the metal braces around his wrist and ankles (something he could easily melt through with his sky flames, but not in an unknown location), he peered up into the darkness and froze.

"You..." Tsuna's honey-colored eyes widened at the sight of the serial killer, his body going rigid. Of all places to meet _him_. "What are _you_ doing here?"

The two guards stared at the Vongola boss in question, having heard the whispered words, and glanced towards the location the brunet was apparently staring into. It was strange, considering the space for them was barren and void of any presence. They began to interrogate Tsuna once more, but it all went ignored as the boss refused to give the men any time of the day.

Sin strode closer, his cape fluttering behind, and tilted his head. He didn't respond to the directed question, observing silently in the background. With the hood up covering his head, all the other could see was his lips.

"Has he finally cracked?" one of the guards whispered to the other. However, there was no response as Sin simply glanced towards the two men. Their bodies exploded like a meat-filled balloons, covering everything in the encased space with their bloody insides. Sin purposefully had it miss both himself and Tsuna, but that didn't stop the dripping of blood that was drizzling downward from the ceiling. He didn't need to traumatize the poor boy or make their interactions worse (not that Sin was helping on that). He recognized shock, distress, and horror as all obvious consequential signs to what he had done and tilted his head once more. The chains around Tsuna's limbs vanished, dropping the Vongola boss to the floor, who automatically caught himself gracefully. The resounding splash of blood on the soles of Tsuna's shoes echoed in the silent room.

Tsuna shakily stood up, staring at the other male curiously, unsure of what exactly to do next. What _was_ he supposed to do? He already knew he couldn't defeat this individual, not with those kinds of abilities and power level. He could just sense the ruthless power radiating off the man, stronger than anything he had ever faced before, even more so than Kawakiri. He needed to react carefully, less he become like the corpses surrounding him. As Tsuna thought about what to do next, Sin was already moving, heading towards the locked door to disappear. Since this place was bound to be destroyed, there wasn't much else for him to do.

However, Tsuna didn't seem to like his intentions. This man, the one that felt familiar to him, was going to vanish again and he knew there was no telling how long it would take before he got another chance. Snapping forward, Tsuna snagged Sin's right arm, tugging the immortal back while crying out a loud 'Wait'. It was obvious the Vongola boss had reacted before fully thinking through his actions. For a second, the younger male feared he would be struck down in retaliation, but nothing occurred.

Carefully, the Sorcerer King twisted in the grasp, glancing towards Tsuna and then to their connected limbs. He didn't even need to speak to get his point across.

Tsuna huffed, tightening his grasp. "I'm not letting you escape. Do you know how hard it is to search for you when there is nothing in the first place? I'm not letting this opportunity slip away from me."

Sin blinked once underneath his hood.

"I've _definitely_ seen you before. That last time in the alleyway last year wasn't the first." Tsuna started. "I don't know where and when, but I _know_ I have. And, despite all the destruction you've caused, I sense that you're not my enemy either. You've saved me, twice, and I can't help but be curious about you."

Sin stared for a few seconds, letting the words settle in his mind before sighing. "I see." He ignored the way Tsuna jumped at the sound of his voice, disregarded the way the other was staring at him expectantly. Twisting away, Sin continued towards the door and dragged the younger brunet, who refused to release him. Well, if the other had no intentions of letting go, then he would just have to tag along for the ride. As the immortal phased through the door once more, he expended a little extra energy to allow Tsuna to follow, ignoring the surprised expression.

"W-What...?" Tsuna gawked, both at Sin and the door he had just _slipped_ through. "How...?" He tightened his grasp around Sin's arm and tugged himself closer. "How did you just do that?" When he didn't receive an answer, he spoke again. "I take it that you aren't exactly human... I've never heard of flames that could do such a thing."

Sin almost smirked at that as he stepped through the noisy walkway. People were still screaming, still crying, but it was just background noise to him. There were more important matters to consider now. His eyes glanced back from the corner of his hood and observed Tsuna carefully from below, reading that tightly clamped expression with ease. Tsuna may have been trained by Reborn, but he lacked the experience to completely cover his facials and those honey-colored eyes were too expressive. "You can't help them right now." Sin's voice seemed to snap the other into place. "You're only one person."

Sighing heavily, Tsuna sped up his pace. "I know. I can't possibly protect everyone on my own." Gazing at the older male, Tsuna continued. "And I have a feeling that you won't help either."

"Correct. They aren't my problem."

"And yet, you saved me." Sin didn't respond to the obvious inquiry. "Why?"

The immortal kept walking and, at this point, he was forcefully dragging Tsuna along. "No purpose, no intention. You were just there. When are your Famiglia arriving?"

Tsuna wiggled his noise at the obvious misdirection. He didn't even need his hyper intuition to know that. "So, it's a secret then. Or you simply don't wish to let me know." Glancing away, Tsuna continued to follow the man. "Still, whatever the reason is, I'm thankful."

"I see."

A silence stretched between the two, ultimately uncomfortable with the faint moaning in the background. They slipped through a few more doors and, at first, Tsuna flinched at the thought of someone finding them, considering they appeared into an open area filled with armed men, except no one heard or saw them. It was like they were invisible or just simply not there.

"Why can't they see you?" Tsuna quickly realized another question. "And why can only _I_?" When Sin didn't answer, something he had expected, the Vongola boss went on. "I saw the security tapes of that night last year. You...just weren't _there_. It was like you didn't exist. And right now, probably neither do I because I'm touching you."

This time, Sin glanced back, unable to hide the smirk resting on his lips. "Looks are deceiving. Reborn has certainly taught you well to mask your true knowledge of your surroundings." He noticed the split-second narrowing of those honey-colored eyes. "And before you ask me, yes, I know you very well, but no, I don't really watch you from the shadows."

Tsuna obviously didn't believe a single word. "Doesn't sound like it. Though, it _has_ been a year since I last saw you."

"Let's just say I know you quite well on a personal level, enough to be completely familiar without actually being there beside you."

Tsuna's eyebrows narrowed in confusion, trying to understand the hidden meanings. "What? That makes no sense."

"I know, but don't bother understand it. It's not really important anyway."

"So you say."

They eventually slipped into one of the various rooms of the buildings, far away from the dungeons and the rest of the populace. They could hear faint chattering and footsteps in the distance, nothing really all that concerning. The room itself was small, however, Sin could see a small opening that belonged to a secret entrance, one he had every intention of placing his current companion into before escaping. He had no intention of letting the other trail him like this, far too many chances to give away important clues regarding his identity. As he stepped closer, Tsuna silent on his arm, he located the loose wall and clicked the device to open.

The Vongola boss stared, obviously surprise and definitely not expecting the ledge to simply give way. "Did you...know this was here?"

"Just found it actually."

"Right..." Not sure if Tsuna actually believed the other, but he doubted he was going to get anything worthwhile. The immortal was careful in phrasing his words.

Sin stepped in before tugging his companion from behind so that they were face to face with Tsuna more on the inside. "Now then, I believe this is farewell, Sawada Tsunayoshi." He hastily yanked away, already calculating that the human brunet would be safe in this area for at least a good hour, more than enough time to get rescued. There were no cameras and no guards and in the very corner of the room was a secure phone that could easily be used to call for help. Sin felt another tug on his arm, Tsuna still attempting to keep a stronghold on him. His eyes trailed down to the very arms holding onto him and then back up. "You can't hold onto me forever."

Tsuna just smiled. "I can try. Never know."

Despite the desire to leave, Sin couldn't quite make the effort to force the other to detach. "You're not going to win, you know. If I can slip through walls, your arms won't be an issue."

"So?" The human shrugged his shoulders, not really bothered by the information. He just smiled and gave a low chuckle. "I'm quite curious about you. And you not answering my questions doesn't make it any easier for me."

"Oh?" Sin could admit he was amused by the other's actions.

"Yes, I want to understand you and your intentions. Won't you enlighten me?" Tsuna was smiling, trying to play his own calculated game, but it wouldn't work on someone like Sin.

The immortal chuckled, "Does that line work on others?"

"Sometimes."

Sin shook his head, amused. "Well, I'm afraid that some things are best not known. Some secrets are meant to remain as just that, a secret."

"Sometimes," Tsuna could agree to that, but he couldn't deny a singular fact that, at the same time, he enjoyed tearing down such notions. "But I'd like to think beyond that. I want to know. It's a bad lesson Reborn taught me. I'm certain you would know about that."

Sin wouldn't actually. He had never been trained by the hitman before nor would he fall for such a little opening. Talking about his knowledge regarding Tsuna's life would give away facts he wasn't supposed to know. "Nice try, but you're not getting anything from me."

The younger brunet didn't seem upset about being found out and shrugged his shoulders, no doubt going to attempt again. "Well, you're not making it any easier for me. I want to know what I want to know."

As amusing as this conversation was, in its roundabout way, Sin didn't want to be stalled any longer and that was exactly what Tsuna was doing. Well, looks like the other was more devious than he originally thought. That taught him something for the next time he meets another older version. Still, it was time for him to head out. There was nothing he needed to do here since the Vongola famiglia would be descending hell upon this location soon.

Sin made another tug, this time phasing through Tsuna's limbs. "Stay here. You'll be safe until your men arrive."

"But-!"

"As I mentioned before, Tsuna, some things are best not knowing. This is one of them that will forever remain a secret till the day you die. We won't meet again." With those final words, Sin took his leave, using magic to vanish completely. He teleported directly out of the building, hovering a mile above in the distance. It was long past midnight with the luminous moon glowing in the sky and with that light and his enhanced eyesight, he could see various black vehicles heading his away. Looks like Tsuna's guardians and advisor were finally on their way.

Humming, he peered up into the starry sky, his cape fluttering out behind him as the wind blew past.

It was nice this high up into the atmosphere and it was terribly beautiful from the way the stars sparkled. The entire world was sleeping, unknowing of the war that would occur shortly on its lands below. Peering down, Sin sensed the confused struggle from Tsuna, the man unable to decide whether or not to stay or leave the safety of the room to look for him.

Shaking his head, Sin vanished entirely, disappearing into the darkness of the realm.

He never came back to Tsuna as promised, and this time, Sin left this dimension, heading back home to see how things were processing.

His fun for the time being had been fulfilled. It was time to work.

For now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ending is a bit rough but it works out in a way.


	48. End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by Pure Red Crane

"So who's next?"

"That would be Giotto."

"Giotto? Like Vongola Primo? Him?"

"Yeah, he's from a completely different dimension from the one you're familiar with. This one was filled with tragedy and despair. He unintentionally called me out by desperation, much like that child version of Tsuna did long ago."

"I don't understand. What happened to Giotto to cause such a thing?"

"It's hard to say, but I'll do the best I can. So, as you already know, he created Vongola to protect the people and was eventually overthrown by his mist guardian, Daemon Spade, and Vongola Secondo, Ricardo. In your timeline, things weren't so bad. Giotto left to head to Japan and the rest of his guardians dispersed and that was it. Sadly, in that dimension, things got... _violent_. Neither of the two was willing to let Giotto remain alive and anyone close to him that had helped him either. They didn't want to leave any chances of an uprising, even though Giotto had no intentions of doing so."

"Oh no..."

"Yeah, so all of Giotto's friends and family were slaughtered. And if they weren't, they betrayed Giotto to ally with Ricardo. It was a bloody mess. Giotto's wife of one year, who was only six months pregnant, was butchered. He got to watch as his unborn child was cut out of his wife's belly to be crushed for insurance. His guardians were hunted down and killed, any family related to them were taken out as well. And if they weren't, well, death was an easier passing."

"Oh god, I feel sick."

"Giotto managed to get away, but by then, he was slowly falling apart, cracking more and more at each passing he heard about. Before long, everyone had, at that point, sacrificed themselves and he was left all alone, hiding in the forests, buried in mountains, to stay alive. He grew desperate, filled with vengeance and anger for his lost loved ones. He detested Vongola and everyone that had turned against him. Giotto wanted them to pay for their crimes against him and that rage burned brightly until Giotto had almost completely forgotten himself, losing his mind to depravity. Despite the madness that was creeping upon him, Giotto knew he didn't have the power or the skills to take on such a powerful group. He was but one man."

"And that's where you came in, isn't it?"

"Correct. Giotto begged for the Gods, any of them, to help him. None of them listened...except for me. I was drawn by his anguish, by his growing madness within, and I offered him help."

"What did you do?"

"I turned him into a demon. Giotto, fueled by everything, ripped the world in two. He burned everything. He destroyed _everything_. In between that, Giotto tortured those that turned against him, slowly tearing them apart. He made them pay for what they had done and he enjoyed every moment of it. I simply had to watch in the background and offer guidance."

"Ah... And, once he destroyed the world, what happened to him?"

"I took him in and added him into my clan."

"I see..."

"Don't give me that look. It was a long time ago. And you must understand that not everyone has a fortunate life."

"It doesn't give anyone the right to just kill people like that."

There was a snort, clearly amused by those words. "You may say that now because you've never had to experience that dark side of life. Vongola is very different compared to then. However, you wouldn't if you knew everyone you loved and cared about were raped, tortured, and humiliated till their dying breath. If you stumbled across any of your guardians' mangled corpses and know what they've been through, would you really not wish for your enemies' despair? Would you not find pleasure in just making them suffer? Of course, for Giotto, he had no one left to save him from himself."

"That's..."

"Stop." The voice was sharp, cutting through the tension in the room. "Let's stop this before it goes anywhere else. Change the topic. We can go back to this on a later date."

"Okay... Thanks."

"It's fine. I knew where this was going and it's better to stop before there was no chance of return. Well, as you know, he joined my clan and now travels around freely among various dimensions, much like Reborn. So he obviously can't go around using his Italian or Japanese name. He needed to create a new one, and so he called himself 'Athan'."

"Athan... Hmm, that sounds familiar. Does it belong to Greek?"

"Somewhat. It means immortal. In another language, war."

"War?"

"Yes, Giotto now goes around creating conflicts, whispering entitled words to people that hold sway over countries, and sometimes pulling the trigger to start the gunfire."

"Oh..."

* * *

Things got a little more peaceful once Vongola backed off, the organization crippled by Tsuna's absolute destruction on the main base. Rumors had spread rapidly online and underground and, upon hearing the strength of the brunet by rest of the world, many tried to recruit him into their own organizations. Tsuna obviously denied everything, not wanting to get involved anymore, and immediately went off on his own. There were those that had to be forcefully swayed, too determined to gain his acceptance.

Since he couldn't stay in Namimori without drawing attention, Tsuna and Reborn moved out of the Sawada Household and relocated to an apartment, one that was exactly the same as Reborn remembered in the times he got switched with his future self. The two of them had transferred to Italy, wanting to remain closer to the action and to keep an eye on the darker parts of the underworld. It helped that most of Reborn's contacts originated there.

Nana and the kids hadn't been too pleased, but allowed the two to go, reminding the two lovers to visit often. As for the ex-guardians, they were obviously unhappy since they had been left behind in Namimori until Hibari and Mukuro pulled some connections to let those that wanted to follow take high school in Italy. It was the only way. Slowly, everyone went to live on their own, taking jobs they could achieve.

Hayato ended up working as a freelance hitman once more, used to his old lifestyle. He was far too well-known among the mafia to simply disappear, not with his father and sister in the business. Hibari remained in Namimori, his beloved town, never able to bring himself to actually leave except for certain occasions. Mukuro, Chrome, and their little gang ended up joining the Millefiore Famiglia for safety now that they were no longer connected to Vongola for protection. There were many groups out there that wouldn't hesitate to take full advantage of their newfound freedom, mostly for revenge. Byakuran, of course, gleefully accepted them and positioned them amongst his highest members in the group, using the knowledge from other dimensions to his full advantage. The albino was snatching up all the prophetic members of the mafia society, wanting the best for himself.

Vongola had fallen apart once Vongola Decimo had been nominated, Federico unable to follow Nono's expected path and caused too much destruction to stitch the group back together. In its place, Millefiore had become the most powerful Famiglia. It was expected at that point.

Ryohei, once finished with high school, went straight to America for boxing programs, training rigorously to join the ranks of the nationals demonstrated on TV. His younger sister ended up deciding to join the police force, forgetting any other offers the rest of the world threw at her feet. Hana went to become a lawyer, which wasn't all that surprising to those that knew her, and worked closely with Kyoko to take down criminals. Haru opened her own little clothing shop, gaining some publicity from the foreign nations that enjoyed the strangeness of her designs.

Takeshi, on the other hand, became a hitman, as well as the owner of a sushi restaurant in Italy for a cover, working closely with Hayato as partners. The said cover allowed him to convey information and targets with ease, connecting the two ex-guardians with Hibari to gain access to networks and a safe haven when off the job. The two of them became one of the most dangerous pairs in the mafia, taking down individuals consistently with practiced ease.

The two of them visited Tsuna and Reborn often enough, strongly tied to the brunet compared to others of the same group. Neither of the lovers minded, watching as the two young males grew into steadfast adults. The two sides eventually drifted as both had their own lives and either side felt guilty for that allowance, knowing that when they met, it would be like the old days.

Years passed by and the world slowly changed, but Tsuna did not. He simply observed from the sidelines, interfering when necessary before disappearing back to his own dimension. Reborn despised these vanishing acts, not liking to be kept out of the loop nor be placed in a position where he couldn't interfere. It was annoying.

Still, he grudgingly bore with it.

The few years shared between them and in this little apartment strengthened their connection. Reborn knew for an absolute fact that he could no longer let go of his lover any longer. He refused it. He wanted to keep Tsuna all for himself, snatch him away from the other beings that were eyeing him from the sides.

Reborn wasn't jealous, he wasn't. He couldn't be.

He just didn't like it, not at all.

It was just another thing he had to get used to.

Chronos popped by more often, sometimes eyeing the hitman from the edge, before making a grand mess of things and vanishing soon after. Tsuna took it in stride, shrugging his shoulders at the fact, while Reborn would curse and grumble in the background. There were others that came by, ones that Reborn wasn't too certain about, but he could sense power radiating from their very pores, knowing they were on the same scale as Tsuna. It made him a little proud that he had managed to capture this powerful brunet's heart and encase it with his own just for himself (even when it didn't always feel that way).

"Tsuna? What's wrong?" Reborn tilted back in his chair at the dining table, his steaming cup of coffee left forgotten. It was mid-afternoon in Italy. The two of them were having a lazy day after being worked quite ruthlessly between two warring factions. It was a lovely break, settling into their comfortable lives.

"Nothing." And, there really wasn't anything wrong. It was just his mind getting away from him.

The hitman snorted, not believing those words. He had gotten better at reading his lover, even when the male didn't think much of anything. It was a reoccurring problem, the immortal having little to no care about the world surrounding him except when it came to issues regarding those he cared about. "There's something definitely wrong. Just speak."

Tsuna shrugged his shoulders, slipping towards the table from the kitchen where he had been standing, and sat down at one of the chairs. "It's really nothing. Honestly."

"Tsuna..."

The brunet sighed. "I'm getting busier now. I'll need to head back often and stay there longer. Chronos has apparently caused some mess I need to step in and help out."

"Let him clean it up. It's his fault."

"It'll be faster and cleaner this way."

Reborn huffed, "It'll be a lesson for Chronos. Not to fuck things up."

Tsuna shook his head, knowing his lover wouldn't understand the other's logic and thinking capabilities. Chronos didn't do things on purpose without a reason. The demon was too brilliant to _not_ do something like that. "I'm afraid that Chronos isn't the type you _want_ to leave alone for any reason. He likes to cause trouble, mainly for me, so I have to do something."

The hitman paused, his mind obviously pondering over those words, and took a sip of his coffee to give himself more time. When he decided he had come to a conclusion, he spoke. "Chronos is keeping _you_ from getting bored." Reborn pushed his drink away and leaned against the table, his dark eyes narrowed cunningly. "Am I boring you?"

"No." The answer was honest and quick. "It's not like that, it really isn't. But you'll understand when you get to my age. Time is pointless after a while and you just stop caring. Things just...grow dull after a while, even when you have something, no, someone that interests you."

Reborn wisely didn't respond.

"Anyway, Chronos has agreed to help me change you in the future. It's best to remain on his good graces if you want to stay with me."

This time, Reborn gave a sneer. "I don't like him."

"You will." Tsuna just smiled like he was holding all the secrets in the world. "You don't have a choice."

"So you say."

The brunet wisely remained quiet, his eyes never leaving his lover before spinning around to head back to the kitchen. He knew Reborn would argue against his words. He knew the man far too well. After all, Reborn would no doubt come to love and hate Chronos and, despite the hitman's haughty decision, there _was_ no choice on that matter.

After all, Tsuna had already foreseen the details.

Busying himself with the kitchen once more, Tsuna calculated just how long it would take before Reborn proposed and they would actually tie the knot together. And once the hitman did, Tsuna would transform him into a hybrid with the combination of his and Chronos' powers.

Everything was finally falling into the perfect cycle.

Just how he wanted.

Just how Chronos wanted.

Tsuna smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, now just the epilogues left. Yay! If this is getting confusing, the last two chapters should fix that up. Hopefully, it's not confusing at all.


	49. Epilogue #1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by Pure Red Crane
> 
> A/N: Don't get confused just yet while reading this chapter, continue to the end and everything will be fine.

"So what about Reborn? Or Renato?"

"Hm?"

"Did he gain another name like Giotto with Athan? I mean, I kinda get how it wouldn't be good if they went around with their original or cover names, especially in places where that very person still existed. It would be rather confusing and gather unnecessary attention, right?"

"Correct and he did. He also changed a lot of stuff regarding himself for those very reasons. He could no longer wear his infamous fedora everywhere or use his once favorite guns or his tailored-made suits. Apparently, the last time he did, he got accused of copying another version of him and some people thought he was that version's Reborn."

"Ouch. I doubt that was pleasant."

"No, it wasn't. He may have killed his other self out of frustration as well as the people that mistook him. It hurt his pride and he wasn't pleased that he had to get rid of what made him 'Reborn'. Eventually, he got over it."

"So...Reborn killed himself? Ah... That can't be good at all. Wouldn't that...you know..."

"Screw up the timeline? Yes, it did. I can fix it, revise the damage done, bring that Reborn back as if nothing had happened. Sometimes, I got too furious with his stubborn attitude and forced him to take the dead one's place as punishment."

"I don't know whether to laugh or be scared."

"Both is alright, though I'm more familiar with the latter."

"Ha, ha, very funny." There was a pause. "So, his name?"

"Ah, sorry. Reborn or Renato took the name of Sephitis."

"Sephitis?"

"Yes. It means eternal death in another language. Quite fitting for how he ended up outfitting himself to differentiate from the other him's." There was pause before Sin continued. "Renato started to wear long black trench coats that are torn at the very end with high-end collars. It gave him the ability to wear certain favorite suits on the inside, excluding the jackets. Because of that, Renato was forced to use vests like mine, and instead of summoning guns through the darkness, he now wields a scythe. It's apparently to fit more with his namesake. He enjoys the weapon's ability to cut through flesh like a hot knife on butter."

"Dear god, that's horrifying... Wait... You said he means death. So if Giotto is war, Tabatha is famine, and Velaquinn is pestilence. Doesn't those four belong to..."

Sin chuckled amusingly.

* * *

Tsuna sighed heavily as he filled out another pile of paperwork. The stacks were almost never-ending. There was _always_ another waiting on his desk the very next day and it only rose in height when his guardians decided to make themselves a hassle. It didn't matter what they did, they were bound to create mass amounts of destruction that would cost Vongola hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions, which left him dealing with all the required formalities in return, talking to the people who got their property destroyed, and consoling broken individuals that had gotten caught in the crossfire. It was utterly frustrating. As much as he loved his people, Tsuna wanted to strangle half of them to death.

Still, Tsuna continued working, filling out these frustrating stacks of paper to continue his friends' destructive and demanding lifestyle. He didn't think becoming the boss of Vongola would have him trapped eternally to a desk than out on the battlefield. As much as he hated fighting, he would rather be out there at this point of time. So, instead of suffering from burns, bullet wounds, and broken bones like everyone else, Tsuna had back pain and depression.

Running a hand through his hair, he sighed and glanced curiously over to his fancy gold desk clock that was more expensive than regular people's homes. It was barely through the day, but, at least he didn't have any idiotic meetings with other mafia bosses. Thank god for that. He didn't want to deal with supposedly crafty individuals that were always looking for either protection or weakness in one sitting. It's frustrating.

Grumbling some more, Tsuna abandoned his pen onto the table and leaned back against his chair. His eyes drifted up to the clock once more and he huffed. He was in no productive mood to get any of his work done, too distracted by other matters. The brunet checked his phone for messages, finding most of his guardians and Reborn out of the building.

Oh, that was a blessing in disguise.

He was definitely going to take full advantage of this two to three hour freedom.

Immediately, the Vongola Boss stood and stretched, hearing his back pop at the immediate release of tension, before making his way out the door, passing the familiar guards along the way. They gave a respectful nod and let him through without a single verbal response. From there, Tsuna quickly made his way back to his personal bedroom, slipping around workers with ease, and hoped that none of his guardians that were still around would catch him outside his office. It was always frustrating to keep this little secret to himself, but it wasn't like he was going to tell anyone anytime soon, not even Reborn, as much as he respected the hitman.

This was for himself and himself only.

Locking his bedroom door, he spun around to look at the empty room, or well, rooms in this particular case. There was a large accommodating sitting area connecting to the bedroom on the right with a private office area to the left. Glancing into the bedroom section, he could see that the bed was neatly made, no signs that he had been sleeping there the night before. Nothing was out of place, exactly where he had left it this morning. Smiling, he stepped further into the room and went straight to the windows, curtains wide open to let in the sunlight. The surrounding gardens outside his room were spectacular to view anytime of the day, especially from above since he could see the brilliant displays of colors blending perfectly together to make a vague symbol of the Vongola emblem.

Tsuna carefully cracked the window open, allowing the delightful scent to waft inside. Taking a deep breath and exhaling, he relaxed. This is one of his favorite pastimes, just gazing out into the gardens, feeling the soft breeze against his skin, and the warm kiss of sun.

_Something flickered out of the corner of his eyes._

Tsuna blinked, instantly alert, and swiftly rotated to look into the still empty room. Tilting his head, he silently stepped forward, waiting for another shift.

Ah, there it is.

It was...near the mirror?

Tsuna raised a curious eyebrow, unsure on what exactly _it_ is. He couldn't make out the appearance no matter how much he examined from the side. Stepping closer towards the area he had seen the... _shift_ , he examined the area. The only thing that stood out was a mirror and he glanced inquisitively into it, seeing himself in perfect pristine order. There was nothing out of place and the background was the same as he expected. Still, there was something about it that kept his mind focused solely on the object, his intuition screaming that there was something wrong.

His image suddenly wavered.

" _Hello_."

"Shit!" Tsuna jumped, obviously not expecting the sudden movement. It took him seconds before he slowly relaxed upon realizing _who_ exactly he was staring at. The brunet huffed, folding his arms across his chest in disappointment. It normally worked with his guardians, not so much with the being hiding in the mirror, but it was a habit regardless. "Do you _have_ to scare me like that?"

"I didn't mean to." The familiar figure slowly pulled out of the reflective glass, his body contorting and forming. He was about the same size as Tsuna, dressed mainly in whites with a splash of black in the background. His clothes were pressed neatly, dark gloves covering his fingers, and the hood of his clock covering his face. The only flush of true color was on the inside of his cape, a crimson red, and perhaps the little pecks of brown hair from underneath the hood. "It's better this way than me materializing out of nowhere. The last time I did that: _you screamed_." The male flipped the hood off, revealing the exact carbon image of Tsuna himself, only he didn't have orange-tinted eyes and a hardness that existed in those features.

Ah, right. Tsuna remembered that incident. The man had really appeared out of nowhere and by reaction, he had screamed. Someone passing by had heard him and called for help, thinking he was endangered within the safe confines of his sanction. His men then proceeded to break down his door, armed to the teeth and prepared to fight to the death for their beloved boss. Tsuna had been standing in the center of his sitting area, right eye twitching at the damage that had been caused in the chaos, knowing this would be frustratingly expensive to fix, and at his invasion of privacy. Even when he had told them that 'no, there is no one here,' his men hadn't believed him and searched the entirety of his rooms. The figure hovering in the air, unseen to all eyes except for Tsuna, silently chuckled.

The Vongola Boss had to hold back from calling his little visitor out of mere annoyance.

That had been the last time the man had appeared in such a way, usually giving his presence away before materializing; sometimes a cold gust of air, a knock on his ceiling or window, or even just the sense of his company. It gave Tsuna time to prepare, but that didn't stop him from jumping at the unusualness it brought, considering most of the announcements belonged to a ghost from a horror movie.

Sometimes, Tsuna believed the man did it on purpose, enjoying his startled reactions, finding new way to mock him.

"I swear," Tsuna huffed, pulling away from the mirror to sit at the small table he had near the windows for relaxation. During the afternoons or mornings, Tsuna would sit there with a cup of tea and a book, giving him the time to cool down in order to prepare for the day. The unbelievable amount of stress his work caused him had him believing he would be graying soon, despite only being twenty-six. "Sometimes, you're just as bad as the others, Sin."

The man didn't look offended by the connection and instead, stepped towards the second seat. He skillfully maneuvered his cape into place, careful to not pull back on his neck, and folded his legs gracefully on top of each other, hands on his lap. He looked like a pristine gentleman. However, Sin was anything but.

Tsuna smiled at the sight of the other, knowing the man must be in some sort of good mood. It wasn't often he got to see his newfound friend like this, usually standing or hovering in the corner, silently like a stalker. It was only moments like this where Tsuna got to see Sin relax and simply be there without any interruptions. There were times when he had thought about letting everyone know about the man's presence, but, well, he could already expect everyone's reaction. With Sin's ability to go anywhere he wanted, to be seen when he felt like it, no one would ever leave him alone, not even in the privacy of his bedroom until they felt they could trust Sin entirely. Tsuna mentally snorted, like that wasn't ever going to happen anytime soon.

There was also the fact that Sin looked like his twin and the man wasn't exactly the easiest to open up. It had taken Tsuna _months_ before the immortal had begun to tell his story, little bits here and there that eventually came to a conclusion.

"It's been a while since I've last seen you, Sin. Been busy?" Tsuna asked and glanced towards the table to find a hot tea set waiting. He blinked and then blinked again before shaking his head. Right, magic. Automatically, he reached for his cup, glancing at the glowing deep blue water, before taking a sip. He was starting to get familiar with this weird handmade tea of Sin's and it wasn't bad either, had the perfect blend of bitter and sweetness without any ounce of sugar, honey, or milk.

Sin reached up to fix his collar, straightening it, and then nodded his head. "Yes, since taking my new title fifty thousand years ago once Giotto or Athan joined my coven, I keep getting called out by various individuals across the universe. I don't go to all of them, of course, but it's still enough to keep me busy." He picked up his teacup, slowly sipping the blue swirl. "Veil doesn't help since he likes to drag me into his business, but he keeps things interesting. Anything he pulls me in for will be...amusing. The last one regarded a slip in as a party member on their path to restoring the world and another before that was to mess with the so-called heroes by sending them on all sorts of random jobs."

Tsuna snorted. He wasn't surprised at all by this information. He had been hearing this for months, little stories regarding Sin's life, and they were always strange. For the latter, Tsuna suspected Sin played as the weird person in video games or TV shows that send the hero's party to all sorts of strange and bizarre requests with great payouts. Sin was the person that apparently knew everything and where everything was bizarrely kept. Tsuna took another sip of his tea. "You don't get along with the others?"

"If you mean the other Gods and Demons, not really. There are only certain people that don't mind me, but it's the same for everyone else." Sin shrugged, unaffected. "It comes with the territory. We're not known as good or benevolent individuals, especially with our titles and abilities. Veil's physical appearance and his tendency to kidnap and dissect his own kind doesn't help his profile."

"Ah, true." Tsuna couldn't blame them either. If he hadn't heard the details from Sin, he too would avoid all these dangerous individuals like the plague. "And Chronos?"

"Lazing around like always. He doesn't have much to do, so he just sleeps when he's free. Or pester me and my group. He's been messing with Sephitis these days, trying to drive him insane."

"I see." Oh dear, that didn't sound good at all. Not at all. It was like Mukuro pestering Hibari. "Still, Sephitis is the Apostle of Death, right? One of the four horsemen? Can't he...accidentally kill Chronos?"

Sin shook his head. "No, Chronos is incredibly difficult to kill off. Even if you obliterate his body, he can just pull himself back together. He's truly immortal in that sense of terms. Still, regardless of everything, us gods can still be killed. We're just incredibly resilient."

"And you? Are you the same?"

The immortal nodded, placing his cup on his lap. "I...cannot die. I am bound to Chronos, much like he's bound to me. We made a blood and soul bond, one of the most sacred and difficult rituals, even more so than the one we made with Sephitis. The success rate is perhaps a one percent and if anything goes wrong, we'd both be destroyed."

"How does it work?" Tsuna was curious. Hearing about these other worldly things, these stories from far beyond, was interesting. Living day in and day out with the same routine got boring after a while. He loved his family and friends, the way they cared for him in return, but there was only so many things he could do.

"Basically, as long as Chronos is alive, if anything happens to me, he can just bring me back. I cannot truly die and the same applies to him. If someone strong enough catches Chronos off guard, I can simply bring him back to my side. It's a cycle of never-ending regeneration as long as one of us lives."

"And you're both too powerful to be taken down collectively and are usually apart, rarely in one place together unless planned. I see where this is going."

"Correct. Only the Demonic King, Drake, has the chance to take us down together. Maybe, his right and left hand men as well. There are a couple of other individuals wandering about that can complete the task, but they generally don't bother with our affairs. With this bond, we can share our abilities across without weakening each other. It's one of the many reasons why I can control time so easily and why Chronos can use a vast variety of magic that goes beyond his scope of practice." Sin let a smirk slip through his blank mask, amusement shinning in his eyes. "We're nearly impossible to kill. The same applies to those that are connected to me: Tabatha, Velaquinn, the others. I can simply bring them back if someone managed to kill them off. Of course, if both myself and Chronos perish, then they'll be on their own afterwards."

Tsuna snorted. Powerful beings indeed, and crafty too. They had pretty much covered all their weaknesses in one setting, banded together to make the ultimate pair.

Sin took another sip before finally placing his empty cup onto the table. He didn't bother using magic to refill the cup, leaving it alone. "It's the near-perfect cycle. My purpose cannot exist without time. And time cannot exist without me. Without time, everything stays at a standstill, nothing moves forward or backwards. It just... _is_. And myself, I bring about the end and the new beginnings. I'm the one that pushes time forward, push it towards its path of absolute destruction."

"Ah," Tsuna smiled, unbothered by the dark topic. He's a mafia boss, after all. Death and destruction was always connected to him. "And it all goes back to that title of yours."

"Yes. I've gained many names over my lifetime, only a few stuck, but even those begin to fade with time. 'Sorcerer King' remained, but the new one became more prevalent over time, more catchy I guess."

"Oh, _that_ one."

"Yes, the God of Apocalypse." Sin actually smiled at the title. "It's fitting, isn't it? There are others: Bringer of Calamity, Foreteller of the End, but I suspect those will fade just like everything else. That's how things occur after living for so long. And with my four horsemen, they're enjoying their role, quite merrily too."

Tsuna smiled, taking another sip before continuing. "Sometimes, it's hard to believe that I'm actually talking to a God, especially one that looks just like me. And then, there's considering Chronos too. He's the God of Time now." He leaned further back against his chair, relaxed and contented with the flow of conversation. There are very few times he can actually feel such peace and though, everything about Sin stated otherwise. The man did just that. "Anyway, I know you've just finished up that story on how you met Sephitis, but how long exactly has it been since then exactly? I'm curious on the time difference between now and then."

Sin blinked his eyes once before glancing away towards the open window, curtains drawn back. He hummed gently to himself, keeping his thoughts to himself for a moment before finally answering, "It's been about eighty-thousand years since that time period. It feels like a mere memory now since it's been so _long_. My memories of that time have already started to fade now, the friends I made during that time almost gone, but that just can't be helped."

Tsuna sighed, unable to imagine such a thing occurring, but, at the same time, could. That many years...that was a long time. Would he too eventually become a memory? He knew about the story regarding another version of him, of the one that had changed the entire future for many dimensions out there, the one that had stopped Byakuran, the one that Sin had followed for a little while out of mere curiosity. That one too had become a memory as well, his time forgotten, but his deeds forever stretching across the timelines.

Sometimes, Tsuna worried about his immortal friend. Time can do a lot of terrible things to one's sanity and Sin didn't have much of it at times, withered away, and bounded together by his companions.

"I know that look," The Sorcerer King sighed, shaking his head. "You're starting to worry about me."

At that, Tsuna chuckled. He had been caught even before actually starting. "You know me, it's a bad habit at this point."

"Indeed it is." Despite the light teasing, there was only fondness in the Sorcerer King's voice. "But, it's not a bad thing though. Your concern is what pulls people towards you, what drew them in." Shaking his head, the older brunet continued, "But don't worry. I'm never alone. I have my clan and Chronos back home to keep an eye on me. They know to stop me when I've gone too far. Veil is good too. I've gotten closer to him as well, but that can't be helped since our habits and tastes intercept."

Tsuna smiled. "Good." His eyes drifted towards the table between them and at the empty tea cups. "Any chance of getting more of that tea?" He paused for a moment, a small mischievous twitch on his lips. "And perhaps a snack too? And more stories? I have, like, two more hours before someone realizes I'm missing."

"Of course, Tsuna."

And so, the tales continued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sephitis - eternal death
> 
> Whoever gave me that name, pat yourself on the back and give yourself a kiss. My loving thanks!
> 
> One more chapter to go! Finally!


	50. Epilogue #2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by Pure Red Crane

It was another day at home, Tsuna noted. He watched as Tabatha, Velaquinn, and Acerola fought amongst each other regarding their current victim, who was chained to a chair in the corner of the room. The poor unfortunate human was alive, eyes wide, as he snapped between all three females fearfully.

Shaking his head, Tsuna continued to observe from the sidelines, unnoticed by anyone within. Those three had become sisters of sorts, bickering about the little things, but it wasn't abnormal considering their positions. One tended to get sick of each other when trapped in the same building for generations. He, too, wasn't immune to that either. Still, when it came down to fighting their enemies, those three teamed up to make a dangerous combination, ruthlessly tearing down their foes till there was nothing left.

Going down the hallway, far from the bickering, Tsuna spotted Athan sprawled out on a couch in one of the corner rooms, napping with the luminous moonlight resting on his frame from the open window. The surrounding curtains fluttered side to side from the breeze flowing through, its noise barely audible within the silence. The Horsemen of War looked so peaceful in his curled up position, a gentle smile resting on his lips. It was delightful to see such an expression and not the hatred the man had experienced for most of his life. Athan had settled into his newfound family, eager to please and belong, despite already doing so.

Shaking his head, Tsuna pondered through a couple more rooms before stumbling across Adam in the main control. The man wasn't paying any attention to his surroundings, focused on upgrading his mostly-mechanical body. Adam had taken off his arm, trying to fix one of the interior wirings that had gotten tangled up with the rest of the compartments. Irritating at best, but not a major issue. Letting the man concentrate, Tsuna vanished once more.

Sephitis, Tsuna could sense, was in his gardens, looking over the products that were growing. Apparently, the Horsemen of Death wanted to do something that wouldn't belong to his deranged capabilities. He wanted to bring life, to nurture and grow. Gardening had been one of the best ways in controlling those impulses.

It helped that Tsuna wouldn't have to do a lot regarding the gardening, use his magic for the multitude of jobs, even though the garden was originally his since long ago.

Teleporting directly into the gardens, he spotted his lover settled on one of the benches that overlooked the oversized area. The usual fedora was off, freeing his spiky black hair underneath, and in his right hand was a still-steaming cup of coffee. The ex-hitman was completely relaxed, just taking in the surroundings and hiding underneath the forage from the sun.

Tsuna silently stepped forward, his eyes momentarily drifting from his lover to the gardens he had originally created. It had taken a long time to get things cultivated regularly with the vast variety he bore in this large plow of land. There were markings on the ground with open plots where he could lay out nutrients for certain plants, greedy naturally. Others didn't rely on such matters, growing in the constant sunshine and rainfall.

"Renato." Tsuna sneaked around his lover as his right hand carefully glided over the shoulders. He didn't want to startle the man, not really, but ended up doing so considering his lover had been so deep in thought. Still, Renato or Sephitis didn't attack, his dark eyes peering over curiously.

"Tsuna." The reply was blunt and Renato took a sip of his coffee, his eyes flickering back to scenery.

"Bored?"

"Obviously. There hadn't been much to do the last hundred years."

Tsuna leaned against his lover, resting his head against the broad shoulder. "That's true. Things have been a little slow these days." And things were. There just wasn't anything entertaining to pull their attention aside anymore. Perhaps it's time to stir some trouble amongst the realms, undertake a new identity to play with the people living within the various worlds. It was sure to pass the time. There was also other options to take into consideration as well, perhaps fighting against another god and his/her army. "Hmm, we can start a war with someone if you'd like."

Renato snorted. "That might put some heavy relation issues between us and them though."

"Not really." Tsuna shrugged his shoulder awkwardly. "We can talk to them first, let them know the plan, then attack. I'm certain there are a few out there that are as bored as you. They won't mind the distraction."

"Sometimes, I forget that things don't work like it did when I was human."

"Things are different, we are different. We think differently, we act differently. That's just how it is."

"And in a way, it works out." Renato replied, his empty cup of coffee vanishing away. He leaned further against the back of the bench, gazing upward towards the artificial ceiling. Tsuna had crafted it to look like a radiant sky with a sun that set and rose routinely with steady weather patterns. Equal amount of rain and light. The technology used to create such a greenhouse was amazing for the first couple centuries, but that enthusiasm died away overtime. "So, who do you think is willing to go for a hundred year fight?"

"Nishi, the God of Wind, has always welcomed fights. He loves it actually."

"I thought you hated him?" Renato rotated his head just enough to gaze at his husband curiously, pulling Tsuna closer against his body as he wrapped an arm around the shoulders.

The brunet sighed, closing his eyes momentarily. "No, not really. He's more of an annoyance _because_ of his constant desire to fight. He enjoys pitting himself against me constantly."

"That's because you keep destroying him and his armies with one fell swoop."

"Ah, that's true."

"If you actually let him win now and then, he would stop bothering us."

Tsuna snorted at those very words, knowing they clearly contraindicated Renato's personality. "You're willing to let him beat you?"

The Horsemen of Death paused, taking those very words into consideration and reflecting on his own. "No. He can never beat us. We're smarter and stronger than him. It's just not possible for us to lose."

"That's what I thought."

They went silent, enjoying each other's presence. It wasn't like they didn't already spend plenty of time together in their home, but this peacefulness had both of them crawling in their own skin. They are destructive beings, entities that dwelled in death, and this calmness eventually bothered their instincts.

"You know, this...isn't what how I expected you would be living." Renato admitted, "I thought there would be more destruction and death." The look he received made Renato expand on his words. "Yes, we do a lot of that already, but it's not constant. There's plenty of peaceful, boring, periods like this in-between with nothing to do."

"Now you see how I got bored and jump worlds and dimensions."

The younger male chuckled. "Yes, I guess I do. Boredom kills immortals more so than actual wounds."

Tsuna smirked, amused. "Told you." He suddenly blinked and pulled away from his lover, glancing to the side.

Renato observed curiously from the corner of his eyes, but remained silent, letting the other do whatever he wished. He released his grasp on the brunet, letting Tsuna scoot further away on the bench, to the point where they were no longer touching.

The small prickling sensation nestled at the back of Tsuna's mind, drawing his attention further away as he concentrated on its location. It was a presence he hadn't felt for quite some time. He didn't get visitors often, but Tsuna didn't mind them. It was nice to have someone else to talk to that was more...normal in certain matters. Rotating back to his lover, Tsuna stood up. "I'll come back in a little while. It appears there's a visitor."

The Horsemen of Death gave a small wave with his left, unconcerned, and closed his eyes once more. "I'll be here."

Tsuna briefly leaned over, giving a quick kiss on Renato's forehead before teleporting directly to the sensed area, finding himself in the library, standing before a tall blond demon dressed regal in both appearance and attitude. The individual was dressed exactly the same as always: a button down white shirt and black pants with matching shoes and a light blue scarf wrapped around his neck that came down the front of his chest almost like a tie. The long dark blue cape that flowed below his knees bore no signs of wear or tear over the hundred thousand years that had passed, dragged delicately over his shoulders to hide his arms underneath. The demon didn't have his cane like he usually did, standing perfectly straight like the gentleman he is. His long blond hair fell past his shoulders to his mid-back, purposefully positioned for the best appeal.

Tsuna tilted his head, orange-tinted eyes examining over the other carefully, but didn't discern anything constructive in this meeting. He relaxed. "Ah, Higashi, it's been a while." This demon had never truly been against him, keeping most of his opinions to himself, only speaking up when there was something he was absolutely against. He was one of the more peaceful individuals, thinking before acting, wanting to hold all the facts before deciding. Waving his hand, Tsuna had a table set appear in the very corner of the room, right where the window had light shining within.

Higashi respectively nodded, striding towards the offered seat. "Indeed, it has. It's been a couple hundred years since I've last seen you. Heard rumors that you've been collecting a clan with Chronos." He pulled the chair back, ignoring the way the wood scrapped against the tilted floor, and gracefully flopped into the seat. "I'm impressed. Not many of us are that lucky. Most we can find is one or two, but you currently have up to six." Higashi pushed a loose strand of hair back behind his right ear. "I am aware that most belong to your new title as the God of Apocalypse, but I'm certain there will be jealousy amongst our kind for the wrong reasons."

Tsuna shrugged, "I'm not surprised. There will _always_ be someone upset regarding something. Even demons and immortal beings such as myself have feelings."

"True, true." The blond smirked, obviously enjoying this delightful conversation.

"To be honest, there are a few others I'm looking into." At Higashi's raised eyebrows, the brunet continued. "Four individuals but they have yet to be born just yet, but they must go together as one."

"Four more? Now I'm really impressed. But, that's a lot of work all at once. You'll be out of commission for quite some time afterwards."

"Yes, well, Chronos plans to take half of the burden for me. Since our blood is mixed, it makes things quite simple. Even if he's the one to add someone in, they can still be mine." Tsuna concluded with practiced ease, not even bothered by the absolute fact he had surrendered.

Higashi chuckled, amused, and leaned further back into his seat, folding his arms on top of his crossed legs. "Sometimes, it's hard to see that the two of you are two different people and not related like twins."

"Yes, well, that will always be an issue, but it's fine. Within the confines of our realms, their opinions matter very little." Tsuna waved his hand, magically summoning a teacup set in-between them. "Anyway, changing topics. How are you enjoying your title? It's been about fifty thousand years, right?"

Higashi, now named God of Water instead of Demonic King, smiled. He didn't mind the obvious shift. "It's quite pleasant actually. Helps clear up a lot of the confusion that had been going around. Some of the other demons and Gods weren't pleased, but it worked out in the end."

"That's good. I know Chronos was grateful to finally receive his rightful title. The other Gods don't like him since he's still considered a demon, much like you, but no one is foolish enough to anger him of all people."

"Yes, being one of the most powerful individuals gives him that advantage. No one dares mess with him and the God of Apocalypse, who has his Four Horsemen, and is connected to Veil, the Demonic King of Lust." Higashi stared pointedly at Tsuna, the brunet's expression never changing despite the purposeful title announcement. "Strangely, they never fixed the issue for the seven deadly sins, even though many of them have the same amount of power as anyone else."

"Too much work. Plus, it doesn't appear too pleasant considering Gods are supposed to represent something well-known. Most people view the sins as demonic in nature when it's really in everything we know. It makes up what and who we are."

Higashi smiled once more, taking a sip of the offered tea. "Eventually, they'll fix that little tidbit. Might take a couple more thousand years for it to come up considering us immortals tend to take our time when it comes to important and unimportant matters."

Tsuna nodded. "True." He picked his own teacup gracefully and sipped on the blue shimmering liquid. The pause was pleasant, letting the two immortals enjoy their drinks, savoring the unique flavor it yielded.

"Heard you've been into gardening recently."

"Recently?" Tsuna snorted, folding his arms against his chest out of amusement. "I've been gardening for the last hundred thousand years. Who do you think has been supplying people with these special teas and coffees?"

Chuckling, Higashi took another sip. "I figured. Though, to be honest, I suspected it belonged to Gaia, but she's not cruel enough for some of the kinds you're brought out. What's your secret?"

"Live human bodies."

The God of Water froze, blinking momentarily as he computed that... _statement_. "I'm sorry?" He shook his head, thinking that perhaps he had misheard. "What?"

Tsuna shrugged, unaffected. "I use diabetic human bodies as fertilizer for my plants. I keep the humans alive, trapped in a medically induced coma, and slowly have the plants consume them. It gives the drinks both a natural sweetness and the tangy bitterness of blood. They're easy to identify since they have a deep crimson color and are apparently popular to the man-eating community like Acerola." Standing up from his position on the couch, Tsuna made his way over towards the windows that peered out into the white desert. "Tabatha and Acerola love them since they enjoy the taste of flesh and blood, Acerola especially since she's a vampire. Tabatha, not wanting to leave her alone, does so to keep her company. Because of them, I've taken to slicing up any live humans for their muscle meat for cooking. Obviously, they enjoy those dishes, even those where it's nice and raw."

"I see." Higashi eventually relaxed, staring down at his current drink, before shrugging his shoulders and took a sip. He's a demon, eating a human has never been a concern of his.

"Obviously, I don't use humans for all of my gardening. A small few grow down below the castle since the plants require unnatural light and innate darkness like the one you're enjoying. Others require a special environmental condition. Magic makes all of that easier to produce."

Higashi let those thoughts shuffle in his mind before nodding his head. It made sense. Natural production could only get so far and it was true that certain plants had to grow in ridiculously special conditions, conditions that weren't possible anywhere else.

He took another sip of his tea, savoring the unique taste, before moving on to other topics.

* * *

"Chronos is quite manipulative, even when most don't view him in that light." Veil deliberately snorted as he worked delicately on his current human body.

Tsuna tilted his head slightly, stringing up the newfound bodies he had collected for his friend. Using magic, he had the tools the demon desired hovering mid-air beside him. While taking a moment to process those words, the brunet nodded. "That's true. He gives the appearance of being easy-going to all those around him, but Chronos is extremely cunning. He watches and waits patiently. Time is something he's intimately familiar with and he has no issues with stepping back until it slides into his favor."

"Just like with you."

The brunet didn't pause in his work, obviously stating without words that he already knew the facts. He had known since the beginning and yet hadn't minded at all. "Chronos may have manipulated me, but I don't care. The payout was equal on both sides."

Veil could concede to that point. He made another long diagonal cut down the chest, pulling back the skin like he was pealing a potato. "He wanted you to become a God. That way, not only would he have a close companion that would remain by his side for eons, but he would gain powers and abilities he had never been able to touch before. Despite all his powers, Chronos knew he had limitations. Along with you, he would gain a clan connected to yours. Any that joins you, joins him."

"He manipulated you too, you know." Tsuna brought up. "He knew we would become good friends, partners too, so he set us up together. You would train me to gain knowledge and you would gain a companion that understood you best."

Veil blinked, his focus broken as he processed those words. It was true, all of it, and yet he didn't mind. A friend, someone that would stand by his side, that understood his abilities and mind, someone that accepted his horrid tendencies, was the best thing he had ever received. Chronos was considered just as close as well, the incubus brilliant in his devious nature. He helped Veil gain the largest amount of corpses desired from a single world, sometimes multiple. If anything, he had nothing negative to say against the other.

The immortal sighed briefly, "To be perfectly honest, I didn't land on that world, the world Sephitis used to live on by accident."

Veil paused, his curiosity sparked. Spinning around, he faced the other, his claws hovering over the corpse. He didn't care that blood was pooling around his boots or the fact that his victim was still squirming under the metal restraints. A saliva-soaked cloth was stuffed into the victim's mouth, keeping the human from screaming and interrupting their precious conversation. "What?"

Tsuna sighed, "I...never told Sephitis, or anyone actually." His hands rested on the body before him, just gripping the clothes to keep him occupied. "But I never wandered to that world by accident. Chronos told me to head there and stay for a couple days. I did and that was when I got called by that younger version of another me. Chronos had pushed the plans he had foreseen into motion and I followed without any hesitation."

"Are you upset?"

"No, never." That was the truth. Tsuna was never upset that he had been manipulated, that he had been directed by someone else's strings. He wasn't sure how the others would feel, but after being together for so long, they probably wouldn't care either. "It's funny when I think about it. Never once did Chronos reveal his plans or that he knew what he was doing except for that one time he mentioned bringing back one of the Vongola boys to life, that he had switched a dead one for a living. I knew it had to be him. There couldn't be anyone else that could interfere like that, especially knowing I was in that very world. He wanted to make sure I wouldn't get trapped as the official heir, that I would be pushed to be killed and get returned to my original form. He had whispered my fate into their ears. He had turned Vongola into his puppets to complete his will."

Tsuna sighed once more and stared at Veil's violent eyes.

"He also made sure that I would return on time to take care of a few issues back home at the castle, never needed to say what exactly, but I knew." The brunet decided he was done with his current work for the time being and stepped towards Veil's, taking a seat beside the metal table. It's easier for the both of them. "Chronos is the true boss of the clan. I'm simply the second-in-command, even though he tries to make it the opposite. Apparently, he hates the spotlight or even to be placed in such a high manner."

Veil snorted. Only those that knew the true personality of the God of Time could see the real relationship between the two and yet, Tsuna didn't care. The brunet allowed it, he enjoyed it, and Veil had no intentions of getting weaved into the center of that mess or interfering. However, despite that thought, he too was already involved, Chronos had made sure of that, and yet knowing that, Veil didn't want to leave. It wasn't like he had a family or friends and the God of Time had given him something familiar to that, had given him companions he could talk to.

It was nice, especially for a demon that didn't have anyone but the human dolls to keep him company, had no one but his own thoughts to speak to. Almost everyone avoided him due to his habits, but Tsuna was similar to him in many ways. It was...enjoyable to talk to someone that understood.

Shaking his head, Veil refocused on his current task, making another long cut across the chest. This time he was pulling back the layers of muscles and fat. Tsuna observed from the side, helping to control the bleeding by sectioning off certain gashes to drain into the correct bin.

"By the way, I have a body that might work for your garden, Tsuna."

The brunet blinked, glancing up momentarily. "Diabetic?"

"Yes."

"Ah, thanks. I'll take a look once we're done here."

At this point, it was just another afternoon as they worked.

* * *

Chronos smiled as he looked through his cell phone, thumbing through various images and reminders of those he knew best, of those that had joined his clan. His finger hovered over a picture of Tsuna, of Sin, of the Sorcerer King, standing beside him. It was an old photo, but never once had Chronos ever been able to delete it, saving it under the deep recesses of his files.

One person had changed everything regarding his world and for the best reasons. Despite the manipulation it had taken to get here, he was forever grateful.

For Chronos, he has a family and that's all that truly mattered.

Chuckling amusingly, he shut off the phone.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE ARE DONE! Thanks for reading and waiting all the way to this point! It's been 5 years (posted on fanfiction in 2012) since I started this fic. Amazingly, I managed to reach the end. I think it derived from its original point considering I had future plans for the four Horsemen but, whatever, I made it! Not much R27 in these last few chapters since my fingers didn't want to work that way. Oh well.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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